Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu took part today (Tuesday) in the state memorial ceremony for Israel's sixth President, Chaim Herzog, on Mount Herzl.
The Prime Minister said that "the images coming to us from Syria should shake every human being: The State of Israel strongly condemns the use of chemical weapons in any situation, especially against helpless civilians and children. I just now told High Court President Miriam Naor that I saw images of open-mouthed children with their eyes calling out for help, who died of suffocation.
"The State of Israel calls upon the international community to fulfill its obligations form 2013 and to complete the elimination of chemical weapons in Syria, otherwise there is no value to international commitments and treaties ... The brutal war raging near our border has been raging for six years, and underscores the great imperative for the establishment of the State of Israel and the Israel Defense Forces. We will always defend ourselves against any enemy, against any threat.
Netanyahu added, "Chaim Herzog, one of the Bergen-Belsen liberators in British army uniform, never thought of Israel's existence with equanimity. He wrote: 'I was privileged to see the Jewish people emerge from the horrific depths of the Holocaust and taking off with clipped wings to the heights of the sovereign State of Israel in the Land of Israel,'" Netanyahu said. "He took a sober view of the threats against us, but also faithfully believed in our ability to repel these threats, and he firmly rejected the libels against us, and he expressed great pride in the achievements of our state."
"Like many here, Mr. President, like you and others who were then in Israel, in the State, I also remember his well-informed and confident statements on the Voice of Israel before and during the Six-Day War. As a boy, as many others did, I eagerly listened to him on the radio. Herzog strengthened our spirit. He strengthened the spirit of the Israeli public in the difficult moments. I was impressed by the confidence he expressed, the peace of mind, the belief in our strength.
"There is no one who does not remember the robust way in which Chaim Herzog rejected the UN resolution comparing Zionism to racism. The picture of our ambassador to the United Nations, Herzog, ripping apart the scandalous decision, is etched in the national consciousness, and I can tell you - even in the international consciousness," Netanyahu said.
"We must continue to stand resolutely as one against the culture of lies that permeates the ranks of the UN. Our struggle against the automatic, absurd condemnations of Israel continues, and Chaim Herzog is one of our teachers in this struggle. As President of the State, Chaim Herzog often expressed his admiration for the State of Israel, for its accomplishments, for the light emanating from it," the Prime Minister added.