President-elect Yitzhak Herzog was today (Wednesday) the keynote speaker at the memorial ceremony for the Hero of Israel, Lt. Col. Yoni Netanyahu.
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""On the 29th of Sivan 1976, Yoni Netanyahu set out on an unparalleled daring rescue mission from which he never returned," said the President-elect. "In the 45 years since, Entebbe has been burned into the hearts of all of us, into our minds, into the stories of the war and into the national ethos of the State of Israel, as Yoni's image as the soldier, warrior, commander, brother and leader is one to look up to and from whom we can learn courage and heroism.".
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""My father, Chaim Herzog, may his memory be blessed, later the sixth President of the State of Israel, who represented the State of Israel at the United Nations in those years, described in his diary how the United States, which celebrated its bicentennial that day, reacted like an electric current that gripped the international community around the announcement of the rescue in Entebbe - and he said: 'Early in the morning of July 4th we boarded a tugboat, which took us to the aircraft carrier 'Forrestal'... I read the issue of the New York Times - its very moving editorial was dedicated to the rescue from Entebbe and gave expression to the feelings of all free people. It occurred to me that Israel's prestige had never been higher than on that occasion....
""When Ora and I arrived at Forrestal, along with 4,000 other guests, we found ourselves the center of attention. In many ways, the Israeli action in Entebbe 'stole the show' from the United States' bicentennial celebrations....Hundreds came to greet us.
""My father chose to describe Yoni as 'Commander Baruch Kasronot... one of our senior fighters... he immediately became a national hero, a symbol of the great Israeli fighting spirit.'.
""And indeed, Yoni was a biblical hero of Israel. His heroism was well-known - Major General Shai Avital told of a bloody battle between the patrol soldiers and the Syrian commandos near the blacksmith camp during the Yom Kippur War, under Yoni's command: 'What I saw then was a picture I will remember for the rest of my life; suddenly I saw Yoni rise in complete silence, as if nothing had happened there. With hand gestures to signal people to rise with him... He began to advance as if he were playing a fire drill. He walked upright, giving orders to the right and left. I remember my thought then as his soldier: God damn it, if he does this - then I'm not giving up! I got up and started fighting.'.
""These descriptions constitute an example and exemplar of Yoni Netanyahu's legacy: a fearless warrior who dared to stand up in the face of fire and the enemy; a commander whose soldiers grow stronger under his courageous leadership; a man whose every action and life decision was an expression of fortitude; an Israeli who would do everything to protect his home, the country, the homeland and the people.".
""As Yoni expressed in his own words, in the letters that were compiled into the book 'Yoni's Letters': 'Since I have no intention of telling my grandchildren about the Jewish state in the twentieth century as a fleeting and brief episode in thousands of years of wandering, I am preparing to hold on here with great force.'.
""And he did cling to that, and so did his immense memory in the decades that have passed since then - eternity in human life and a greater eternity, crying out in his silence, in his absence - Yoni's lovers and family gave us an even more precious gift: they revealed to us the person next to the figure.
""Thanks to you, the Netanyahu family - Yoni's most personal questions and desires were published in 'Yoni's Letters,' a book that became mandatory reading in every home and had such an impact on me that I read it twice during my military service; thanks to the love for your eldest brother and the dedication to his memory, the name 'Yoni' became a code name for the beautiful Israeli, the salt of the earth; we, all of us, salute here today a man whose absence is still felt and whose memory is alive and well - close to the anniversary since his passing.
""May the good spirit of Yoni Netanyahu rest upon the soldiers and commanders of the Israel Defense Forces for generations to come, and may the wonderful memories of this precious man bring comfort and solace to your home. May his memory be blessed.".
Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the memorial service for his brother, the late: "On behalf of myself and my family, I would like to thank you for coming today, and to you, President-elect Herzog, for your precise and uplifting words.".
""Yoni fell 45 years ago. If he were alive today, he would be 75 years old, and if he were alive, he would have made many contributions to the State of Israel. I would like to tell you that there is not a day that I don't think about Yoni. There is not a day that I don't remember him. Thank you for coming with us today to remember Yoni.".
The ceremony was also attended by former US Ambassador David Friedman and former US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Sayeret Matkal soldiers, and hundreds of participants - including Likud members of Knesset.
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