Speech to Knesset
Regarding the War in the North
(August 14, 2006)
Madam
Speaker,
Distinguished Knesset,
At
the outset, I wish to send condolences,
on my behalf and on behalf of the Government,
the Knesset and
the entire nation, to the families of the
158 killed – civilians
and IDF soldiers.
Yes,
we are a nation which counts its dead. We
count the dead daily, pained by their passing,
and grieving for each and every one of
them, because each of them has a family,
each of them is an entire world.
Each
of them, as with each of us, wanted to
live a normal life, like anyone. And
for that desire, for that right, we have
fought for dozens of years; we fought for
the last month, and unfortunately, we will
have to continue fighting for many years
to come.
I
wish a speedy recovery to the injured,
IDF soldiers and civilians. We all
pray to the Creator that they will heal
and convalesce.
Madam
Speaker, I also take this opportunity to
express gratitude and appreciation, on
behalf of the people of Israel, to the
Chief of General Staff, IDF commanders,
the soldiers in the regular army and in
the reserves; to those tens of thousands,
who even now are endangering themselves,
displaying supreme courage, in the struggle
against a cruel enemy, in a struggle which
is the most just and moral.
I
wish to thank the members of the security
and rescue forces, the heads of local authorities
and their staff, the tens of thousands
of volunteers who acted in full coordination
with government offices, to all those who
mobilized – also from parties in
this house, on all fronts. And above
all, I salute the residents of the North – you,
through your great devotion, patience and
stamina, are the essential component in
the strength of the State of Israel.
Members
of Knesset,
Approximately
one month ago, the Government approved
the IDF operation against the Hizbollah terrorists – following an act of
terror, during which volleys of Katyushas
were fired on communities in the north,
killing 8 IDF soldiers and kidnapping Ehud
(Udi) Goldwasser and Eldad Regev.
The
overall responsibility for this operation
rested on me as Prime Minister. I
have no intention of sharing, nor do I
ask to share this responsibility with anyone. This
responsibility derives from my position
as Prime Minister of Israel.
The
decision by the Government of Israel not
to ignore the situation, echoed, and will
continue to echo in world capitals both
near and far. It clarified to all
peoples and nations that the State of Israel
would not absorb any more attacks on its
sovereignty and would not restrain itself
anymore when its citizens were harmed. Furthermore,
it would respond with force to any act
of terror, from the north or the south,
from the east or from the sea. Anywhere.
Madam
Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen, Members
of Knesset,
This
morning, UN
Resolution 1701 became valid. This
resolution contains a list of responsibilities
which are meant to fundamentally change
the situation on our northern border.
In
my speech to the Knesset on July 17, 2006,
several days after the outbreak of the
campaign, I said, and I quote:
“And
in Lebanon, we will insist on compliance
with the terms stipulated long ago by the
international community, as unequivocally
expressed only yesterday in the resolution
of the 8 leading countries of the world:
- The return of the hostages, Ehud (Udi) Goldwasser
and Eldad Regev;
- A complete cease fire;
- Deployment of the Lebanese army in all of
Southern Lebanon;
- Expulsion of Hizbollah from the area, and
fulfillment of United
Nations Resolution 1559.”
This
resolution is a political accomplishment
for Israel, however its significance is
crucial to all nations of the free world,
who struggle against global terror. The
entire international community is partner
to the perception that the terror state
which established itself in Lebanon must
be destroyed. The UN Security Council
unanimously, and with the support of the
15 member states, accepted this historic
resolution, which clarifies that there
is only Israel and Lebanon. There
is no longer a state within a state. There
is no longer sponsorship for a terror organization
by a state. And no longer is a terror
organization allowed to operate within
Lebanon, as the long arm of the axis of
evil which reaches out from Teheran to
Damascus, uses Lebanon’s weakness
and transforms it, its citizens and its
infrastructure into a tool for its war.
Finally,
a single address for discussions regarding
the northern border has been determined,
and that is the sovereign government of
Lebanon. It will bear full responsibility
for all its territory, and the entire international
system is committed to this.
We
will continue to act to bring the kidnapped
soldiers home. We will do so with
perseverance and with all the means at
our disposal, both overt and covert, as
decreed in the Security Council Resolution.
I
appointed Ofer Dekel, former Deputy Head
of the Security Services, as my special
representative to coordinate the efforts
to bring Udi, Eldad and Gilad home. Yesterday
morning, before the Cabinet meeting, I
met with the families of the kidnapped
soldiers and updated them regarding the
agreement which was reached.
Goldwasser,
Regev and Shalit families: I saw your pain. I
read the frustration and expectation in
the looks of Benny Regev and Eldad’s
other brothers. I saw the eyes of
Karnit Goldwasser, and the tormented gaze
of Aviva Shalit. My heart goes out
to you. And I know that all of us,
the entire Knesset and the entire nation,
are with you. I promised you, and
I will personally lead all steps, and be
involved in every detail regarding the
return of Udi, Eldad and Gilad. And
with G-d’s help, they will be home
soon.
I
believe that the realization of the UN
Resolution creates good conditions for
their return. The entire international
community is committed to this.
Both
in the matter of bringing the boys home
and the matter of political accomplishments,
we should wait a while and maintain a measure
of healthy doubt, caution and vigilance.
The
test of this resolution is in the precise
implementation of each and every clause. We
intend to follow its implementation carefully. We
will not ignore violations and will reserve
our right to respond as we see fit.
Madam
Speaker, Members of Knesset,
The
IDF operation over the last month, in the
air, at sea and on land – brought
about a change in the regional strategic
balance, first and foremost vis-à-vis
the Hizbollah terror organization.
IDF
soldiers dealt a severe blow, the dimensions
of which are not yet publicly known, to
this murderous organization, its military
and organizational infrastructure, its
long-term ability, the huge weapons arsenal
it has built and accumulated for many years,
and also to the self-confidence of its
people and leaders.
In
every battle, in every encounter with Hizbollah
terrorists, the fighters of the IDF had
the upper hand – of this there is
no doubt.
The
leaders of this terrorist organization
went underground, and from there they are
busy spreading lies and hiding the truth
of the cost to them and their people.
In
this regard, I wish to clarify: these people
will not be exonerated. They will
not be exonerated. We will continue
to chase them wherever they are and for
however long it takes. It is our
moral duty to ourselves, and we have no
intention of apologizing or asking permission
from anyone to do so.
We
also suffered painful blows, both on the
home front and on the front line. We
did not mislead ourselves when we embarked,
because of the inevitability of the circumstances,
on this war. We did not mislead anyone. We
said rockets would fall, missiles would
fall, and that we would pay a heavy price – the
most precious – in human lives.
We
spoke out of a sense of profound responsibility
towards every citizen on the front line
and on the home front, and we knew – we
all knew – that there was no choice
but to embark on this campaign. Otherwise,
we would have found ourselves facing even
greater dangers in the future.
Members
of Knesset,
I
see and hear those voices which express
discontent, even disappointment, as if
their expectations have yet to be realized. And
I say to them and to all of us: friends,
patience. Patience.
The
struggle of the Zionist movement against
terror, as with the free world’s
struggle with terror, did not begin today,
and will not end in the foreseeable future. This
is a long, difficult, complex struggle
which demands restraint, determination,
stamina and perseverance. We all
saw how much power there is in the stamina
and patience demonstrated by the Israeli
home front, an ability which surprised
even our enemies.
A
nation which wishes to defeat dark and
fanatical fundamentalist terror must have
nerves of steel. We, the people who
returned to its land after 2,000 years,
have patience. And therefore, we
will be victorious.
Members
of Knesset,
There
were also shortcomings. We will have
to examine ourselves in all the systems. I
say here, first and foremost, to the IDF
soldiers and their commanders, G-d forbid,
never give up. You are the heroes
of the people of Israel, and you will receive
my full backing and support.
We
will not hesitate to examine everything
which requires examination. We will
hide nothing, nor will we cover up. This
is the lifeblood of a democratic society. However,
we will not do this because of screaming
and the hurling of accusations. We
cannot afford the luxury of wallowing in
wild arguments and mutual recriminations. We
cannot afford this luxury because we must
ensure that the next time – and there
may well be a next time – things
will be done better. Even if we think
we learned all the lessons, even next time
there will be things which must be fixed. Because,
ladies and gentlemen, this is war.
Madam
Speaker, Members of Knesset,
I
wish to take this opportunity to thank
the members of the Government, and especially
Minister of Defense Amir Peretz and Minister
of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Livni for their
measured and responsible actions. I
wish to thank the members of Knesset, from
all parties, the members of the opposition
and members of the coalition, opponents
and friends alike, who remained restrained
during the storm of battle.
I
again wish to tell those in the world who
still criticize our actions, preach morals
to us and level groundless criticism at
us:
We
will not apologize. The State of
Israel is right!
Members
of Knesset, Citizens of Israel,
Israel’s
economy remains stable and strong, despite
30 days of fighting. I have complete
trust in the Israeli economy, in its robustness
and its stability. This war obligates
us to accept a number of decisions regarding
the State’s agenda for the coming
years. My Government and I will focus
our energies, resources and abilities towards
taking care of the residents of the north,
and that area.
We
will allocate all necessary resources,
in the framework of the multi-year national
plan so that the north can return to being
a blooming center of life, education and
science, of industry and technological
development, of tourism and culture. This
Sunday, the Government will approve the
operating principles which the Minister
of Finance will present, which are based
on many days of work by a special team
established for this purpose, consisting
of experts – and next Sunday, we
will approve the detailed plans, so that
we can lead the north and its citizens
forward.
For
the sake of this national mission, we will
need all the strength, capability, creativity,
mutual responsibility, volunteerism and
unconditional mobilization that Israeli
society – at all levels and in all
sectors – demonstrated during the
past month.
This
spirit, which is vital to restoring the
north to what it always was – a blossoming
region full of creativity and industry,
with a normal, tranquil way of life – is
the best possible response to our enemies.
During
the 3,000 years of our existence as a people,
we encountered many enemies, who rose against
us to destroy us. With G-d’s
help, we withstood them all. We will
withstand the hardships and pain of these
days – and will continue to build
the State of Israel with pride.
We
will never surrender, falter or break.
Thank
you.
Sources: Prime
Minister’s Office |