Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi and Air Force Commander Maj.-Gen. Tomer Bar, today (Monday), held a traditional Passover toast with soldiers at the Tel Nof Air Base.
Prime Minister Netanyahu told the soldiers during the toast: "I know the important work you are doing and while it is always important, it is especially so at this time. Over the past 24 hours, our forces have fought terrorists in the heart of Nablus, we intercepted two UAVs and you know very well that in recent days we have been active beyond our borders against regimes that support terrorism and are plotting to destroy us."
"First of all, I would like to thank each and every one of you for the amazing work you are doing to defend our homeland and our state. Convey our praises ahead of the Passover holiday.
"We know that in Israel we are in the midst of an internal debate. I believe that that in this debate, with goodwill and genuine dialogue, it will be possible to reach broad consensus; this is what I aspire to. But it is important to tell our enemies not to err because internal debates do not matter, we will fight them both within and beyond our borders with all necessary force to defend ourselves by ourselves.
"On this matter, what the Commander of the Air Force said yesterday is very important. It was clear. It was valid not just for the Air Force but for the entire IDF.
"The State of Israel cannot exist without its defensive force and the IDF cannot exist without a command hierarchy that is clear and as strong as steel. We have this; together we stand and together we will win. I wish you all a happy, kosher and safe Passover. Thank you very much. Happy Passover," Netanyahu said.