(IDF Spokesperson/IMRA) Lt.-Gen. Moshe Ya'alon - IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Moshe Ya'alon spoke Thursday at a memorial ceremony for 22 soldiers killed in a terror attack at Beit Lid ten years ago. In the past decade we have experienced dozens of terror attacks in which hundreds of civilians and soldiers have been murdered. Our enemies know that they cannot defeat Israel by confronting the IDF directly, and therefore increasingly direct their attacks at the heart of Israel. There is little that separates the dispatcher of a suicide bomber who carries out a suicide bombing at the Beit Lid bus station, or at the Park Hotel where tens of families celebrate Passover, or against innocent restaurant diners, or random people taking the bus, and those Palestinians who fire mortar shells at Israeli communities in the Gaza Strip, or between those Palestinians who launch Kassam rockets at Sderot. However, our enemies will not defeat us. Even in the face of this brutal and bitter fighting we are determined to win. Even after 57 years of the existence of the State of Israel, we still fight for our basic right to "be a free nation in our land!" Today we are witnessing the beginning of positive developments in the Palestinian camp, an expression of their understanding that terror does not pay. This is an achievement originating from the ability and the steadfast determination of the citizens of Israel and the soldiers and commanders of the IDF and Israeli security forces.
2005-01-21 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive