President Isaac Herzog at the event
President Isaac Herzog at the eventAmos Ben Gershom/GPO

The Binyamin Regional Council held a tribute event in appreciation for the security coordinators of Binyamin towns, for their dedication and service during Swords of Iron War. President Isaac Herzog, Knesset Speaker MK Amir Ohana, the prime minister’s wife, Sarah Netanyahu, cabinet ministers, and many Knesset members honored the event with their presence.

The event showcased the heroism of the security coordinators of the Gaza border area communities. Eliyah Ben Shimul, the security chief of Kibbutz Kerem Shalom, who fought courageously on October 7 in the battle defending the kibbutz, represented the communities’ security chiefs and received an appreciation award presented by Binyamin Regional Council Governor Israel Ganz on behalf of all Binyamin residents.

Shortly before the event, President Herzog met with the 34 security coordinators and thanked them for their service.

President Herzog addressed the event and commended the security coordinators: "You are the wall around our nation on this day, in this generation. You do this every day, at every hour. There is a security coordinator from Hanita here, there is one from Metula, there is one from Kerem Shalom, and I want to salute every security coordinator from across the country."

He added: "It was proven on October 7th, that you are the first line of defense, you do holy work. You are doing a great job. It's not day, it's not night, and it's not life. It's difficult, it's challenging, sometimes exhausting, but you save lives and protect the people of Israel and the State of Israel."

Later in his address, the President praised the movement to settle Judea and Samaria: "The new communities movement has existed since the dawn of Zionism, and one is an integral part of the other. Now is an opportunity to state how these communities have proven and constantly continue to prove who essential they are to the Jewish People and Israel’s security."

During her address, First Lady Sara Netanyahu praised the local security personnel and their families and called for the arming of local security teams.

"Since October 7th, we have been in an existential struggle for our home, our lives, and our right to live here safely. In this struggle, you - the security coordinators, the security officers, and the people who lead the community security systems - stand with heroism and determination, and defend us, even at a heavy personal and family cost."

She added: "But behind every such hero is an additional force, no less significant - the wives, partners, mothers, sons, and daughters. Many of you are here today, and you stand heroically beside your spouses, supporting, strengthening, and watching over the house while your loved ones are out protecting us all. Your resilience is an example for us all."

Later in her address, Netanyahu stated: "We need to make as many local security response teams as possible, it's in our soul. My husband is certainly aware of this, we need to support and arm the local security response teams since they are the first line that defends us, we saw this on October 7th, and we also saw how much it was needed where there wasn't."

Binyamin Regional Council Governor and Judea and Samaria Council Chair Israel Ganz noted in his greetings that “on the Saturday morning of Simchat Torah, we knew there were people we could rely on.

"The security chiefs hastened to the community fences and gathered the first response teams over and over again throughout the day. They are the spearhead of security in our communities, and thanks to them, 82,000 Binyamin residents can continue their daily routines while the many who were called up for reserve duty can go to fill the ranks of the reserve units, secure in the knowledge that their families and communities are being protected. On behalf of all the region’s residents, we salute your stalwart stance in the front lines of the home front, in all weather and in all circumstances. We salute them and their families for their dedication, courage and determination – they are an inseparable part of the State of Israel’s security mechanism.”