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PM Netanyahu addresses the official memorial ceremony for Benjamin Ze’ev Herzl
Herzl’s words continue to guide us. Israel is a beacon of enlightenment and progress in the heart of the turbulent Middle East. We are not perfect, but there are none more enlightened or better than us at meeting the tasks and threats directed at us.
(Communicated by the Prime Minister’s Media Adviser)
PM Netanyahu at the grave of the founder of the Zionist movement, Benjamin Ze’ev Herzl. Photo: GPO/Amos Ben Gershom
Mere hours after the memorial service for the soldiers who fell during Operation Protective Edge, we are again here at Mount Herzl, paying our respects to the giant of vision and action, the giant who laid the foundations for building our sovereignty.
The IDF soldiers who are buried here on this mountain, and in the other military cemeteries around the country, represent a broad range of viewpoints, backgrounds, ways of life. What brought them to unify around the same piece of fabric, as Herzl called it, around our flag? What brought them to stand shoulder to shoulder in defense of the country? They did so thanks to the foundation that unites us all, the profound knowledge that our forefathers walked on this land thousands of years ago and that this is where the chain of generations began; the shared understanding that this is our one and only homeland; the internal sense, as Herzl said, that we are one people – Herzl is the foundation that unites the generations of national renaissance.
We can imagine Herzl without the Zionism movement – I am certain he would have continued his work as a successful writer and journalist – but we cannot imagine the Zionist movement without Herzl. Herzl was the person who channeled the longing for salvation that had resided in the spirits of the Jewish people since ancient times into practical channels of action. Like Moses in his time – and here I would like to register a complaint about the words of introduction I heard, that Herzl was one of the great leaders of our people in the new era. I disagree, from every era. From Moses to Theodor – he was the Moses of our time. He led the people, a nation of slaves, to the Promised Land. It was thus for Moses and it was thus for Herzl. He taught an enslaved people to take their fate into their hands and return to Zion.
There is no doubt that Herzl had a great measure of genius. At the time, there was a theoretical debate as to what the fate of Paganini, the great violinist, the genius musician, would have been if he had been born before the violin was invented. Herzl provided the answer. Paganini could have existed even before the invention of the violin and just would have created it by himself. Herzl also created something out of nothing. His genius found expression in his ability to sense the pulse of his era, to identify historic changes that were altering the world order and mobilize them for a creative solution, the solution to the Jews’ distress in their exile.
Herzl was endowed with foresight, with the ability to identify dangers even before they appeared and with a developed political awareness. His writings are filled with repeated warnings. He warned against the tidal wave of anti-Semitism that was likely to bring disaster to the Jewish existence in the exile. The increasing hatred of Jews in Europe, and especially the Holocaust that destroyed one-third of our people, regrettably proved that he was entirely correct in his warnings and visions. He diagnosed the foundation of hatred upon which our existence in exile rested. He also was sharply critical of the complacence shown by certain circles given the hostile surroundings.
We must all memorize this lesson: We can never take existential dangers and threats to our destruction lightly. However, this was not enough for Herzl. He said that we must build tools to defend ourselves, build a country, build an army. That is what he said. Today, Israel’s enemies know very well that our strength is backed by military force. We do not hesitate to use it, defensively and offensively, in order to rid ourselves of danger.
Herzl was the first Jewish statesman – and here I will add „in the new era” – who took history’s stage not as an obsequious lobbyist, but as a proud national leader, one who stood tall. Even today, his tremendous boldness in approaching world lead ers and influential people is astonishing. He did not usually appeal to their emotions. He did not appeal to the emotions of the Kaiser nor those of the Sultan – but rather he appealed to their interests. He was not always successful but he was a statesman. He understood the importance of emotions vis-à-vis those who were openhearted or whose emotions could be appealed to, but he spoke with them about their interests.
When Herzl began his impressive diplomatic career, he was only 36 years old, an unknown youngster. He was motivated by internal passion and faith in the moral justness of our people’s demand – to allow the Jews to return to their land. With this sense of justness and with his internal passion, as well as his smarts, he stood before the Kaiser, the Sultan, kings and counts. His sharp eye deciphered the map of international relations at the time. He understood that political contacts were based on two main components: alliances and interes ts. He tried to convince those he spoke with that their support for Zionist goals would lead to great advantages for them.
To the Kaiser, he said: You want to remove the Jews and I want to remove the Jews. To the Sultan, he said: You have an acute economic crisis, I will speak with the financiers, with the Jewish money people and we will help solve your problem. The Sultan was very interested, but Herzl could not convince the Jewish financiers to give several million dollars. Who knows what would have happened had he succeeded. So it is true that all the political contacts made by Herzl were not successful, and despite that, he did succeed in making Zionism a factor recognized by the family of nations, and that should be taken into account.
We follow in Herzl’s footsteps when it comes to our foreign relations. Over the past several years, Israel has enjoyed an impressive political flourishing. Countries in the region and around the world come to us for two main reasons: the rich experience that we unfortunately have in fighting terrorism; and Israeli innovation in a variety of fields, which Herzl also wrote about in his book, Altneuland, in which he describes the technology, the science, the technique as he calls it.
Several weeks ago, I made an important state visit to four African countries. I started my journey in Uganda, which was associated with the Zionist movement from its inception. Herzl sought a safe haven there, but only as a temporary stop on the way here. However, many people objected to this idea, including my grandfather, who was a delegate at the Zionist Congress. He said only the Land of Israel would do, and Herzl understood.
We have come a long way since then. Herzl’s great political accomplishment came only after his death with the Balfour Declaration in 1917. In this founding document, Britain, and after it the nations of the world, declared their willingness to establish a national home for th e Jewish people in the land of Israel. The declaration expressed recognition of the Jewish peoples’ undisputed connection to its homeland, the land of Israel.
However, now, after nearly 4,000 years of Jewish history inextricably tied to this land, almost one hundred years after the Balfour Declaration, 68 years after the establishment of the State of Israel, there are people who still deny our strong connection to our land. I heard that the Palestinian Authority intends to sue Britain over the Balfour Declaration. In other words, they do not object to the Jewish state, they object to the national home that preceded the Jewish state. Of course they will fail, but this shines a light clarifying that the root of the conflict is the refusal to recognize a Jewish state in any borders. It was and remains the heart of this conflict, and until we do not recognize this and tell the nations of the world, „Here, this is the root of the conflict, that and the incitement that acco mpanies it,” only then – without diagnoses, without prognoses – there is no cure, there is no relief. But this attempt will also fail.
Herzl’s words will continue to guide us. The land of Israel is the homeland of our forefathers. It is precious to us and we will never forget it. We are established here, in accordance with our teachings – a free, democratic, tolerant, liberal, advanced, prosperous country. Israel is a beacon of enlightenment and progress in the heart of the turbulent Middle East. We are not perfect, but we are the most advanced country, and there are none more enlightened or better than us at meeting the tasks and threats directed at us.
Herzl believed in scientific and technological innovations. In his time, there was the radio, the telegraph, electricity. In our time, there are computers, cyber, sophisticated medical instrumentation. The principle is the same, and like Herzl, we encourage the growth of the free economy endorsed by Herzl, the innovation, the spirit of invention. At the same time, we are strengthening our affinity with our ancient past, the heritage of our forefathers, and this Herzlian dream continues to be realized every day in the State of Israel.
One hundred and twelve years after the death of our state visionary, the paver of our path to independence, we continue to reap what Herzl sowed, to walk in his footsteps and realize his vision.
May his memory be blessed. |
