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PM Netanyahu Visits the Grave of his Brother Lt.-Col, Yonatan Netanyahu

17/04/2010

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sarah this evening visited the grave of Lt.-Col. Jonathan (Yoni) Netanyahu, who fell almost 34 years ago during the operation to free the hostages in Entebbe, in order to pay tribute to his memory and light a memorial candle.

The Netanyahus decided to visit the Mt. Herzl cemetery a day before the start of events to mark Remembrance Day for the Fallen of Israel's Wars out of consideration for the bereaved families and so that the public might not be delayed by the security arrangements for the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Netanyahu was moved to see the citation that the IDF engraved on his brother's gravestone and the citations on the gravestones of other fallen soldiers. Lt.-Col. Netanyahu received the citation for rescuing a wounded comrade from behind Syrian lines during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

Quotes from a different speech in observance of the same day.

Netanyahu spoke at the memorial ceremony at Mount Herzl's Military Cemetary, which began after the sounding of the siren, at 11:00 Monday morning. President Shimon Peres, Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin and Chief Justice Dorit Beinish were also in attendance.

Netanyahu opened his speech with a personal story of his time in the elite General Staff Reconnaissance Unit. He described two young soldiers that served with him: “Zohar Link was a handsome and charismatic young man. He was a counselor in the Shomer Hatza'ir youth movement, played the harmonica, loved photography, loved nature. Who knows where he would have gone with his personality? David Ben-Hemo was an intelligent, handsome boy, an excellent athlete, curious, sensitive and modest. He captivated me from the moment I met him. I believe he had a bright future ahead of him.”

Link and Ben-Hemo were wounded while preparing for a military operation. “I accompanied them in the car that brought us to Tel Hashomer hospital,” Netanyahu said, “while holding David with all my strength. He died in my arms, before we reached the hospital. Zohar died shortly after. I will never forget these moments; both of them remained 19 years old forever.”

Netanyahu continued with the story of his brother, Yoni Netanyahu, who was killed in the famed 1975 Entebbe rescue operation, which he commanded. “Once, I saw my mother Tzila, may she rest in peace, sitting on a chair my parent's house, staring into space,” he said. “I asked her: 'Mother, what are you thinking about?' She answered: 'I am thinking about Yoni, about my Yona'le,' and then she added: 'there are only good memories.'”

“Today, the entire nation embraced all the mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters and wives in bereavement, in loss that is too heavy to bear,” he said. “Our comfort is to continue in the paths of our dear ones, and fulfill their dreams.”

“We are a nation that seeks peace and prays for peace. Our one hand is outstretched towards peace, we all want peace in our hands, and the other holds the sword of David, in order to protect our nation against those who seek to harm us,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu ended his speech, saying “may the memories of the fallen, of our dear ones and our beloved, create memories for us, forever.”

The life that grows here – in Jerusalem and in the entire State of Israel – is both a duty and an edict that we repay to the fallen on a daily basis.

Kind of reminds me of the words of another great leader:

It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us. . .that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion. . . . .