Prime Minister Yair Lapid and President Yitzhak Herzog spoke today (Wednesday) at the state memorial ceremony for the first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion and his late wife Paula, at the grave site in Sde Boker. Herzog spoke about the value of Ben-Gurion's statesmanship, and the background of the incident in Hebron over the weekend , he said: "The IDF must not be dragged into the political field."
Lapid used the opportunity to attack the designated government and said that it wants to destroy democracy."
Herzog said during his speech: "The principles of statehood woven into their thought and actions are clear, binding, and are first and foremost expressed in the statehood that, just like democracy, is first and foremost the common property; and is not the private property of any individual, sector, community or camp. Statehood that is of Everyone - and for everyone.
Herzog at the memorial ceremony for Ben Gurion, photo: Kobi Gideon/Leam
Herzog at the memorial ceremony for Ben Gurion, photo: Kobi Gideon/Leam
"The highest test of statehood: the ability to look ahead in a sober way, to think today about the long-term meanings of the decisions we are expected to make, and to gauge the extent of their impact on the heritage, identity and most of all - on Israeli statehood, even for decades to come.
"If there's anything we learned from Ben Gurion - 'You don't arrange furniture in a house as long as you're busy laying its foundations' - it's not to act hastily, when we come to make an important decision; we must look beyond narrow and momentary considerations, and act always - always! - so that the foundations of our country, first and foremost The balances, the brakes, and the delicate and critical relationship between our three authorities - the legislature, the executive and the judiciary will not be unduly shaken. This is a basic principle that must always be before our eyes.
The grave of David and Paula Ben-Gurion in Sde Boker.
Archive, photo: Moshe Shay
The former Prime Minister and the first Minister of Defense of the State of Israel, David Ben-Gurion, leans on the railing of a balcony overlooking the Nahal Tzin, near Sde Boker, photo: Cohen Fritz, G.A.M.
The warrior from the documentation in Hebron who said "Ben Gabir will make order."
The president said that "we must in no way harm the statehood of the IDF", photo: Amro Issa and Tal Sagi
"This is the legacy that David Ben-Gurion left us, and it is essential and binding - for every generation. Out of my honor, I would like to single out a few words in this context for the Israel Defense Forces, and emphasize: the IDF is a state army.
Just as David Ben-Gurion outlined it.
The IDF will continue to be a state army, with an ethical, professional and state chain of command.
"Discussions on the issue of morality and the purity of weapons are important, criticism is legitimate and sometimes necessary, but I would like to clarify unequivocally: we must not in any way harm the statehood of the IDF.
The IDF must not be dragged into the political field. And certainly it must not be turned into a tool for political confrontation. We have one IDF, which acts on behalf of all of us, and for all of us.
And just as he protects us, we must also protect him," said the president.
Supreme Court.
"To act so that the foundations of our country will not be shaken", photo: Oren Ben Hakon
"The new government does not believe in equality"
Prime Minister Lapid opened his remarks by saying: "I did not come today to eulogize Ben-Gurion, I came to apologize to him. What is happening today in the State of Israel is contrary to everything he believed in, to every command he left us.
"These days a new government is being established in Israel, it does not believe in it. Not in equality for women, not in equality for LGBT people, not in political equality, not in social equality and certainly not in equality for non-Jews.
This is a democratically elected government, but wants to destroy democracy.
Democracy is not just the will of the majority.
Democracy is also the protection of the minority against the majority, the separation of powers and the independence of the court, freedom of expression and telling the truth.
Prime Minister Lapid. Archive, photo: Amos Ben Gershom/L.A.M
Smotrich and Netanyahu.
Lapid said that the government the two are trying to establish does not believe in equality for non-Jews, photo: Oren Ben Hakon
"The new government does not believe in any of this, but I want to say here over your grave David, they may not - but we do. We are Zionists. We believe in the Declaration of Independence. We believe in a Jewish and democratic state. We believe in the rule of law.
"We will not give up our country, nor the principles behind it, nor the legacy of Ben-Gurion. This is our life's mission, just as it was his life's mission. I ask for your forgiveness, David, for what is happening here these days, but forgiveness is not enough. We We will not be silent or rest until we fix this, we will change the situation and write another chapter, as the scroll says, 'in the great struggle for the fulfillment of the aspiration of the generations to redeem Israel,'" concluded Lapid.
were we wrong
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