A toast in honor of upcoming Israeli Independence Day was held Monday and attended by the higher echelons of Israel's defense establishment.
On hand, notably, were Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot, as well as other members of the Israeli military's general staff.
Ya'alon spoke during the ceremony, praising the IDF's general staff for their professionalism and outstanding conduct.
"Sitting here is the leadership that is supposed to understand the significance of the struggle for independence and at what price," Ya'alon noted. "Sitting here is a general staff very experienced in the management of combat and operations."
It is one "that understands the complexities and changes that continue to occur in the Middle East," the Defense Minister added.
Continuing to laud the general staff for its experience and sober-headedness, Ya'alon noted the staff's ability to examine various issues and search for fresh ways of thinking to create better responses for all challenges.
"This week has huge importance. It has the combination of the struggle for independence with evaluating that independence, which was not obvious, and the price of it," he emphasized.
"We all know this very well, and it forces all of us sitting here to understand why it is important to delay war as much as possible" Ya'alon added. "Here, there is someone that [all of Israel] can rely on."