Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett issued special videotaped greetings on the occasion of the nation’s 74th Independence Day.
By Erin Viner
“It’s a story of a nation that built something from nothing, a scattered people returning to our ancient homeland,” he said, going on to say that the “secret to our strength” is “our people, our passion, our spirit of Am Yisrael (Hebrew for the “People of Israel”).
Alluding to the Holocaust during which six million Jews were murdered, the Israeli leader said that “No matter the horrors we faced, we never lost our hope; no matter who tries to dehumanize us, we never lost our humanity; no matter who tries to destroy us, we’ll never be defeated.”
“We will always prevail,” vowed Prime Minister Bennett, while citing I Samuel 15:29, “And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent. For He is not a man, that He should relent.”
Continuing to highlight the nation’s triumph over adversary, he said: “Israel may be rooted in the history of this land, but our forward-looking vision has made us #1 for start-ups per capita. Israel may be 60% desert, but we made it bloom and became the world leader in water technologies. Israel may be located in one of the toughest neighborhoods on earth, but just this year we were named the 9th happiest country on earth.”
Among the many reasons for happiness, said the Israeli leader, is the “booming economy, a powerful military, and a vibrant democracy with the most diverse government in Israel’s history—Left and Right, religious and secular, Jews and Arabs.”
“We are united for a purpose, and that purpose is ensuring a strong future for the State of Israel,” he stated, adding, “We continue building bridges, we continue providing solutions, and we’ll continue creating a better future for all our children. The State of Israel has given new life to the Jewish people, security to all of Israel’s citizens, and confidence that our best days are yet ahead of us.”
Prime Minister Bennett concluded his Independence Day remarks saying, “To every Israeli, every Jew in the world and every friend of Israel I say: Yom Atzma’ut Same’ach! Happy Independence Day!”