‫משרד ראש הממשלה‬
THE PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE
‫مکتب رئيس ال ُحكومة‬
January 29, 2015
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Address at the Memorial Service
for Israel’s 11th Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon
[Translation]
Ariel Sharon stands out as one of the greatest warriors and military leaders that the State
of Israel has ever had, both from a historical perspective but also in real time.
He led his soldiers on the battlefield, carried out courageous missions behind enemy lines
and instilled the value of perseverance in the IDF. He determined that going back was not
an option until the mission was completed. Arik knew from a young age that the rebirth of
Israel and its defensive strength are intertwined in a link that cannot be severed.
For that reason, he chose to position himself at the spearhead of the young army, starting
with the War of Independence in which he was injured at the Battle of Latrun, then as
commander of Unit 101, and later in the Paratroopers Brigade, all of which ensured the
deterrent force of the State of Israel against retribution and added important layers to
Israeli fighting traditions.
Arik said that he and his friends were determined to defend the right of the Jews to defend
themselves by themselves. Arik proved his ability as one of the IDF’s best field
commanders during the Suez Crisis, the Six Day War and also the Yom Kippur War.
His command of the force that crossed the Suez Canal on the Egyptian front help turn a
failure into a victory and marked the turning point in the harsh battle that had begun in
October 1973.
During President Anwar Sadat’s dramatic visit to Israel, one of the first people he asked to
meet was General Sharon, and the two shared memories from the war. I have no doubt
that crossing the Canal is what paved the way to peace with Egypt.
Throughout the years of his political career, Israel’s security was always Arik’s top priority.
He saw terrorism as a key threat that should be fought with all our might. He wrote in
1992: “The root of Arab-Palestinian terrorism is not the ‘occupation’...” He put it in inverted
commas then, “…not the ‘occupation’ of Judea, Samaria and Gaza in 1967. The Intifada is
only one stage in the prolonged war that Israeli Arabs have been waging against the
Jewish settlements and the Return of Zion for 100 years.”
A decade later, as prime minister, his perception became clearer that the strings of
terrorism were being pulled from the outside, posing a strategic threat to the Middle East
and the peace of the world. He said: “Radical forces in the region are trying to strengthen
themselves in two ways: the first is by trying to obtain weapons of mass destruction, and
the second is through support of money, arms and other resources for terrorism and
terrorists in Lebanon, in the Palestinian Authority and in other places in the region and in
the world.”
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‫משרד ראש הממשלה‬
THE PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE
‫مکتب رئيس ال ُحكومة‬
This force of which Arik spoke was and remains Iran. Today, it is Iran that is arming,
organizing, funding and sending terror proxies to our borders in the north and not far from
us here in the south, in the Gaza Strip.
It is Iran that is responsible for the attack on us yesterday from Lebanon. It is the same
Iran that is now trying to reach an agreement with the world powers that would leave it with
the capability to develop nuclear weapons, and we firmly oppose this agreement. We will
continue to defend ourselves against any threat from near and far. Arik clearly understood
the regime in Iran, and what he said then is still true today. This is a country where even
those who are considered moderate talk of annihilating Israel and the Jewish people. What
Israel needs is means of defense and a deterrent force. The world should exert pressure
on Iran, both economic and diplomatic.
I did not always agree with Arik, but on this matter I totally agree and I am 100% on board.
I have been trying to recruit others to this effort, and anyone who cares about the future of
the State of Israel should take part in these efforts because the fight is not over. Only this
week we heard an Iranian official reiterate: “The annihilation of Israel will come.” And only
two days ago we marked 70 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz extermination
camp. Then, we didn’t have a voice with which to warn people of the danger, nor the ability
to act against it. But today things are different. We are not afraid to determinedly object to
the risky agreement that is being formulated between the world powers and Iran, and we
do not hesitate to speak up clearly, even if there are those who refuse to hear, as there
were then.
Israel will not accept a conciliatory agreement that will be signed with Iran that will allow it
to continue its race to the bomb. Therefore, we reserve our right to do everything in our
power to prevent the extremist regime in Tehran from arming itself with nuclear weapons.
And regarding the free world that Arik mentioned, we must know that it is reaching a
decisive point in history. It has the power to stop the regime of Ayatollahs that is trying to
obtain a destructive weapon, and the question is whether it will sign this bad, dangerous
deal with Iran and thereby turn its back on its values and shirk its responsibilities, or
whether it will come back to its senses and put a stop to Islamist radicalism in time.
Arik had no illusions regarding Iran, the region, our need to defend ourselves or the need
to warn others about the dangers in time. We also have no illusions about the dangers, nor
do we have any doubt about what must be done to keep them at bay. That is what we
have done and what we will continue to do.
May the memory of Israel’s 11th Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, be forever blessed.
20-6779006 :‫ פקס‬,20-7626076 :‫ טל‬,91919 ‫ ירושלים‬,‫ הקריה‬,3 ‫רח' קפלן‬
3 Kaplan St. Jerusalem 91919, Tel: +972-2-670-5465, Fax: +972-2-566-9245
E-MAIL: MEDIA@PMO.GOV.IL