Yuli Edelstein
Yuli EdelsteinYonatan Sindel/Flash 90

Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein (Likud) spoke at Tuesday's Knesset special event in commemoration of the Second Lebanon War.

He began by saying that "'The Second Lebanon War' quickly developed a negative connotation. It became a synonym for pain, for failure, for a system that lacked a guiding hand. A heavy cloud of unclarity hovered over the skies of Lebanon and Israel during the war, and it did not disperse for a long time afterwards. A decade has already passed -- almost an eternity in Israeli terms -- yet 'the Second Lebanon War' is still a deep wound that refuses to heal."

"Precisely because of this," he added. "We must ensure that we do all we can to be ready and to get several steps ahead of the enemy. So they won't catch us by surprise, so we won't be left helpless, so that issues of life and death are not determined with such a lack of coordination."

The Knesset Speaker stated, "Today, our main challenge as leaders is to fix this crisis of confidence. One of the most pressing and lacking necessities in our public atmosphere is confidence, without which you cannot establish a democratic government. It is essential that the Israeli public knows it can rely on its leaders. The public wants to see its leadership taking the initiative and not only responding. It must lead and establish situations, and not merely adjust to them."

"This is true at all levels: political, security, settlement. We cannot restore Israel's deterrence if we're always being dragged along. Instead we must take the initiative. We will only stabilize our diplomatic position if we find the way to proceed instead of waiting for others. We will only fortify our forces and our presence if we take the initiative instead of merely responding to attacks with building notices."