In the video: Galant: "Pledges to respect the High Court ruling" / Roni Knafo
Defense Minister Yoav Galant spoke Thursday evening at the Armored Rally marking the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, which took place at the Yad La-Shiryon memorial site in Latrun. During the speech, the defense minister spoke at length about the Declaration of Independence: "Anyone who challenges its status harms the moral pillar of the State of Israel."
Galant turned to the Yom Kippur fighters: "I think of you and ask: In what name and for what did you fight then in 1973? What was the glue that held you together despite your social differences and personal background? What led you to rush to the front and be willing to sacrifice your life and stop the enemy with your body?
"To all these questions, there is one definite answer. It was true then fifty years ago and it is true for us today – the ability to unite out of responsibility for our fate. And so, precisely when it seemed that there was nothing to hold on to, in hours of great pain and terrible devastation, we as a people clung to the good of the state, the flag, the symbol and the Declaration of Independence - this is the declaration that constitutes the opening chapter of the unwritten constitution of a state without a constitution.
"Even today, the Declaration of Independence embodies the foundations on which the State of Israel was built and exists – it is a Jewish state, a democratic state and it has equal rights for all its citizens. Anyone who challenges the status of the Declaration of Independence harms the moral pillar of the State of Israel. Especially in times of disagreement and disagreement, we should preserve the broad national common denominator that appears in the Declaration of Independence, and march in the light of the moral and practical compass embodied in it."
Defense Minister Yoav Galant/Reuven Castro
What is the background to Gallant's speech?
Galant's comments on the Declaration of Independence come a week after the historic High Court of Justice hearing on the grounds of reasonableness, during which government representative Attorney Bombach caused a storm when he noted that the Declaration of Independence is not a legal authority: "The Declaration of Independence was urgently signed by 37 people who were not elected at all, is this the source of authority? Is that what will turn us off?" He later sought to clarify his statement: "The government has no intention of changing the Declaration of Independence, but that does not make it a legal text."
Justice Noam Sohlberg expressed his concerns about a decision on the cancellation of the reasonableness cause. "If we, as judges, rule according to the Declaration of Independence, we may make a mistake, because the ruling will mean that its validity will be forever," he explained. "I am under the impression that there is a chance at this time of a gathering of state-loving elements who want to enact a Basic Law: Legislation."
The attorney general's representative responded: "Absolutely not, it's not eternal, there has never been a law that denied authority to this court and to the entire court. There is also no law that abolished the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty, but suddenly we are in the process and it is impossible to close our eyes to the government's announcement on January 4 that its goal is to reform the judicial system."
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Israeli President Isaac Herzog also spoke at the rally, addressing the possibility of reaching a historic agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia: "I wholeheartedly welcome the important developments regarding the possibility of a historic agreement with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is a very important country, and I believe that a relationship based on partnership and friendship with it can be the foundation for a historic change in the history of the State of Israel and the entire Middle East. This opportunity, of course, depends on many factors, but I hope and believe with all my heart that it will be realized.
"I want to tell you, heroes of the Kippur campaign and bereaved families: Back then, half a century ago, we had a hard time imagining these developments. But the historic process of Israel's integration into the Middle East, a process that began with the peace treaty with Egypt and reaches the current stage of contacts with Saudi Arabia – is thanks to you! Because of your heroism, because of your sacrifice, and because of your uncompromising belief in the righteousness of the path - in defending the homeland, and in striving for peace. That's where it all started."
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- Yoav Galant
- Yom Kippur War
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