A hundred have passed since life came to a standstill, the skies darkened, and we, all of us, were exposed to the boiling and shocking lava of terror and profound hatred that was poured upon us.
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A hundred days of the most justifiable war, which is a test for us as a nation. A test of courage, heroism, determination, righteousness, strength, mutual responsibility, unity, and the commitment we have as a society to our core values and principles that define us as a country.
In these difficult times, we cannot help but think of the sacrifice made by our sons and daughters, in uniform and in plain clothes. Their sacrifice, their courage, their love of life, and their commitment to the ideals we hold so dear attest to the strengths that we harbor within us.
We must not, not even for a single moment, forget the captives. It is hard to imagine a harder and more treacherous journey than that forced upon the families whose loved ones' fate lies in the hands of Hamas' murderers. We all pray based on the words of the prophet: "Let the daughters and sons return to their borders."
We will further mourn for the radiance of youth, the beauty of heroism, the sanctity of will, and the self-sacrifice that perished in this war. We will weep over the lives of too many - too many – taken by brutal hands - victims of monstrous and boundless antisemitic violence. And yet we remember that even in the darkest hours we witnessed uplifting actions, heroism, resilience, and compassion that have made us who we are as a people: the Israeli spirit that refuses to break, that knows no bounds.
Indeed, we made a serious and painful mistake by being ill-prepared. But our enemy made an even greater miscalculation: An enemy whose "great heroes" murdered, massacred, raped and slaughtered infants, elderly, girls, and boys, burned houses with residents still inside, and committed the worst of crimes against humanity; an enemy that brought devastation and disaster upon its cities and people; an enemy that proudly displayed Hitler's "Mein Kampf" in its rooms, and whose summer camps include murderous brainwashing and blind hatred; an enemy that thought it knew us and despised the heroism of our sons and daughters until it saw with its own eyes how "a people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion."
We saw the incredible strength of our people emerge into the open. We saw the "TikTok generation" step up to the plate, whose heroism will be forever written in the chronicles of Israel's history. I met with men and women who went to battle and the commanders leading the troops with the determination of steel, striving for contact, vowing "never again!".
We have all seen how the evacuated communities and families act with such tremendous grace, the bravery of our wounded in the hospitals, the burning faith and pride of grieving families, the volunteering spirit and mutual responsibility shown by Israeli society - Jews and Arabs alike, the determination of our allies who stand by our side – led by the US – the world Jewry who has stood with us as one, even at their own risk. No one can defeat a people whose sons and daughters are such; no one can defeat our unity and togetherness.
Even though war broke out at one of the most polarized periods in our history, and while the enemy hoped that the terror attack would deepen rifts and weaken Israeli unity, we chose life, we chose to have mutual solidarity. We chose to unite immediately and fight together, shoulder to shoulder, for the present and future of our common home.
Unfortunately, it's hard not to see that there are those who have chosen to revert to the hate speech that once prevailed here until October 6. Returning to that mindset is a direct threat to our security and our lives.
You can always criticize, and sometimes argue – it's part of our collective DNA, but it's time to conduct discussions and debates responsibly, and maintain our unity, remembering we are one people and one country. We must not let Hamas win the battle against Israeli cohesion. This applies to all of us, and certainly to elected officials and leaders. Leadership during war means responsibility for having Israelis stand together as one social fabric; this is the foundation on which victory stands.
When our brothers and sisters risk their lives on the front line, we must rise above campaigns, petty politics, and the divisive and toxic discourse, both in discussing the events before the war and in what may unfold on the day after. We must listen to the cry of our children demanding: Instead of blessing us to return home safely, let us return home to safety to a nation with domestic peace.
Despite the challenges ahead, I do not doubt that we will emerge from the shadows of battle stronger and more determined than ever.
Together, as one nation, we will overcome the darkness, we will rise from the ashes, we will build, plant and sow, we will put up new mezuzot, we will turn every hell into heaven as we have always done, and we will create a future of hope and prosperity for our people, our state and the entire region – one that is worthy of the sacrifice of the fallen, boosts the morale of the wounded and reflects our commitment to establishing a beacon of hope for ourselves and all of humanity. Our enemy got it wrong; the spirit of the people of Israel has always won. It will win again this time.
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