Benjamin Netanyahu Praises Gaza War ‘Spirit’ on Israel Independence Day
Image by Getty Images
In his Independence Day address, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised troops’ fighting spirit in Gaza.
Netanyahu’s praises came in the Hebrew-language version of a video released by his office at the start of Israel’s 67th Independence Day, which this year falls on April 23. The English-language version contains no such reference but celebrates the right of Jews living outside Israel to immigrate to it, or make aliyah.
“Last summer, during Operation Protective Edge, we saw your fighting spirit, your camaraderie, your bravery,” Netanyahu said in the introduction part of the Hebrew-language video, which Netanyahu began with a message addressed to members of the security forces. “You are the first element of Israel’s security and its independence.”
Israel has faced international criticism for its summer war in Gaza against Hamas, which left more than 2,000 Palestinians dead and which the Palestinians and others allege was tainted by widespread war crimes, though Israel has disputed these claims.
“When we look at the countries around us, we see how exceptional Israel is,” Netanyahu continued. “A vibrant democracy with equal rights to all its citizens. Israel is at the forefront of the world’s technology,” Netanyahu said.
Unlike the Hebrew address, Netanyahu’s English-language video also celebrates how Israel gives Jews “the right to make aliyah and be part of the modern State of Israel.”
It further differs from the Hebrew-language version in that it specifically names Israeli Arabs as “equal under the law.”
Last month, U.S. officials and may Israeli politicians and opinion-shapers accused Netanyahu of eroding democratic values when he urged voters to elect his party, Likud, because Arabs, he said, were showing up in great numbers to vote with help from left-wing groups.
Netanyahu later apologized for the offense his statement caused.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
