Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu issued a special video greeting on Thursday ahead of Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s 65th Independence Day which will be celebrated on Tuesday.

“65 years ago we celebrated our new found freedom, the renewal of Jewish sovereignty in our ancestral homeland,” said Netanyahu. “This was a dream of ages. Jews prayed for this for generations, ‘Next year in Jerusalem’. Now we’re here in Jerusalem, in the one and only independent Jewish state.”

Israel, he said, has “a remarkable economy, with technology, with entrepreneurship, with science, with culture. We have a strong army and a strong economy and we have a home for every Jew around the world who wants to make Israel his home.”

“When you look around us, you see that Israel is the bright star of freedom, the bright star of a liberal democracy that embraces all its citizens, Jews and non-Jews like.”

“I hope that all of you have a chance to visit Israel this coming year, and I want to thank you for the support that you’ve given us. I know that because of your support, we have renewed strength to face the future with great optimism and with great hope,” said Netanyahu.