Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said at Remembrance Day ceremonies at the Mt. Herzl Cemetery Wednesday, "I cannot help but think of how deep the moral gap is between us and our enemies. We sanctify life, not death." He added that Israelis do not send their mothers to be suicide terrorists or "joyfully send their children with bomb belts to blow themselves up in packed buses or in busy malls."

The Prime Minister termed Remembrance Day as a "somber day, not a day of hate." He reminded bereaved families that Israel targets terrorists and never intentionally kills innocent civilians.