The following
is the speech Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave at a
special Knesset session to mark 40 years since the Yom Kippur War:
The
Yom Kippur War was a time of trial for the State of Israel, which found itself
in a fateful battle against those who sought its destruction. The blow that we
suffered in the first few days necessitated the mobilizing of all forces in the
war effort.
With talks about the "destruction of the Third
Temple" in the background, the soldiers of the IDF demonstrated
unparalleled bravery on both the southern and northern fronts. Those who forced
us into a war we did not seek encountered national unity and the willpower of a
determined nation. Within a few days, the IDF soldiers succeeded in turning the
tables: we moved from defense to offence, and by the time the cease fire was
announced, the IDF was already on its way to Cairo and Damascus.
Today, forty years after the attack that sent shockwaves
throughout the country, we salute the heroic soldiers who rescued us from the
traps of complacency, vanity and misconception.
Distinguished guests,
The war left a painful wound in our souls and a deep scar
in our flesh. The bottom line, however, is that we won a major victory. The
lessons of that war have remained with us for the past four decades, and they
are interwoven into the lessons we have accumulated from all the other wars and
battles we fought.
The first lesson is to never underestimate the threats
and never underestimate the enemy. Never ignore the warning signs. One cannot
assume that our enemies will necessarily act in accordance with our
assessments. They can be surprising and unpredictable. We paid the price of
repression and self-deception, and we will never make that mistake again.
Israel will always stand guard.
The second lesson is that the option of a preemptive strike cannot be automatically dismissed.
Not every situation necessitates such a strike and all options must be weighed
carefully, but there are times when the fear of an international response is
diminished in comparison with the price we could pay for absorbing a strategic
strike for which we will have to respond late, maybe too late.
A preemptive strike is one of the most difficult
decisions a government is required to make, because it will never be able to
show what would happen had it not taken action. At the same time, the major
difference between the Six Day War and the Yom Kippur War lies first and
foremost in the fact that in the Six Day War we initiated a preemptive strike
to extricate ourselves from the noose imposed on us by our enemies, while in
the Yom Kippur War, despite the warning signs, the government chose to absorb
the full force of the enemy's attack.
The third lesson is the strategic importance of buffer
zones. Our presence in the Golan and the Sinai enabled us to prevent
infiltration deep into the territory of Israel. Following this experience, no
one could comprehend forfeiting these buffer zones, even in peace arrangements.
Therefore, it was clear that in the peace negotiations with Egypt, the Sinai
Peninsula would have to be demilitarized. Such demilitarization, which has
existed for almost 40 years, is essential. Without it, I doubt that the peace
would hold. This demilitarization has been in place for almost 40 years, since
the signing of the peace treaty with Egypt.
And there is a fourth lesson as well. Peace is achieved through strength. In the Yom Kippur
War, despite the enemy's excellent opening terms, our neighbors learned that
they could not defeat us by force. This understanding is a result of the war.
Five years later, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and the Prime Minister of
Israel, Menachem Begin, signed a peace treaty. A peace agreement would later be
reached with Jordan, and we are making genuine efforts to achieve peace with
our Palestinian neighbors.
Peace can only be achieved if the hostile countries
around us understand that Israel is powerful enough and that it will not
disappear and will not be uprooted. The Yom Kippur War changed the face of
Israeli society, necessitating a very painful and ongoing soul-searching. The
failures, the debacles and the weaknesses entailed an in-depth and fundamental
correction. This is an ongoing effort and we work on it constantly. It is first
and foremost because of that war, but as I said earlier, in retrospect, Israel
emerged stronger from the war.
Forty years ago there were less than three and a half
million people living here. Today, we are more than eight million. Our economy
expanded, and it is stable and prosperous. Just to clarify – our population has
more than doubled, our economy is 25 times larger. It is as if you took the
Israeli economy during the Yom Kippur War and placed 25 such economies side by
side – this is the State of Israel today. Israel is a creative and advanced
state, with a free and vibrant society, a society of remarkable achievements.
And we continue to move forward and reach new heights. Our greatest
achievement, however, was gained during the agony and despair of that terrible
attack on Yom Kippur. Sporadic rumors about the falling of friends and
acquaintances turned into a massive flow, and all forces needed to be mobilized
to bear the terrible grief.
My brother Yoni participated in the battles on the Golan
Heights. I wish to read you a portion of a letter he wrote to my parents, the
first letter after the fights: "It was undoubtedly the most difficult war
we have ever known. It was, at the very least, more intense and more
terrifying, with more casualties, more successes and more failures than the
battles and wars I have known. But it is because of the initial failures –
failures in the military assessment, in the interpretation of the intelligence,
in war doctrines, in political assessments and in the complacency of the entire
nation – that the victory was so great. The army is strong and good and it has
proven its abilities beyond any doubt. And when I say the army", he wrote,
"I mean not only the regular army, but the entire people. The soldiers
succeeded, at a very heavy cost, to ward off the enemies, but it is the people
who won the war".
He was right, but the price we paid was unbearably high,
the highest since the War of Independence. More than 2,100 of our finest sons
fell in the Yom Kippur War, and thousands of others were injured. Some still
bear the scars, some are with us here today.
Today, the 11th of Cheshvan, marks the passing of Rachel
the Matriarch, the mother of the nation, who shares in the agony of her sons in
their time of trouble. The Prophet's promise to Rachel echoes in our ears:
"Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for there is
reward for your accomplishment."
We mourn the loss of our sons and our friends and we send
our best wishes for recovery to the wounded. There is reward for their actions.
Thanks to their courage and perseverance, our independence and the existence of
our nation from generation to generation were secured. May their memory be
blessed.
