PHOTOS: President Rivlin Visits The Chatzor Air Force Base

(PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)

President Reuven Rivlin visited the Chatzor Air Force Base on Tuesday, 26 Sivan, accompanied by IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-General Gadi Eizenkott and Air Force Commander Major-General Amir Eshel.

At the opening of the visit, the president received a briefing on operational activity and personnel handling in the air force, and then continued to review a weapons exhibition where he was presented with an intercept management center, an Iron Dome launcher, an Arrow and Diamond launcher for aerial defense, a ‘Yanshuf’ (UH-60 Black Hawk chopper) used for extrication and transporting personnel and the wounded as well as fighter aircraft.

The President visited the mission training center at the base, where he was on a simulator flight that was prepared especially for his visit and passed through stations in his life. The flight took off from the Chatzor base and continued to Jerusalem where it passed over the Rechavia neighborhood, the Teddy Stadium, the Knesset building, the President’s Residence, YMCA, and Har Habayis, where it continued to fly over Moshav Herut, the childhood home of his wife Nechama, and continued on to the Kineret and Mount Hermon.

During the visit, the president met with the commanders’ forum and the base officers, where he thanked Air Force Commander Maj.-Gen. Amir Eshel for the visit and gave him a model of a Piper aircraft, a plane used for intelligence gathering the president flew in as a soldier and officer.

The Air Force Commander added: “We have a connected heritage in the air force,to your role in the army as a security officer. Today there is another Piper, the missions have grown, but we feel the same privilege to serve the people and the land.”

The President thanked the soldiers and the officers for an interesting and informative visit and said: “You in the air force prove that there is no place that cannot be reached, and there is no task that cannot be performed, always the best, always in the team work that leads to success, day by day. “The air force is the crowning glory of our ability to bear the burden of security and I thank you,” said the President.

In his conversation with the commanders, the president referred to the recent statements by elected officials and ministers against senior IDF commanders regarding the approval of the plan to expand Kalkilye. “We have recently encountered situations in which ministers and MKs, politicians criticize the IDF as it appears they forget the IDF is not reelected every four years. The IDF is the people’s army that protects the people and the State of Israel, and we all have a duty to protect the IDF.”

The president went on to say: “Attacking commanders like policy makers and not as those who implement decisions could harm the IDF and lead to a serious crisis of trust between the IDF and the Israeli public.”

The president turned to the commanders and said: “To you commanders, I have only one request – continue to command, you will continue to take care of the security of our citizens and we will take care of you without reserve. Thank you.