Netanyahu, Rivlin attend ceremony for fallen IDF soldiers of unknown resting place

"Every new grave carved on this mountain or in any other military cemetery means a family whose world has been destroyed, each new grave being a wound in the heart of the people."

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
President Rivlin spoke at the state memorial ceremony fallen IDF soldiers on March 13th, 2019 (photo credit: KOBI GIDEON/GPO)
President Rivlin spoke at the state memorial ceremony fallen IDF soldiers on March 13th, 2019
(photo credit: KOBI GIDEON/GPO)
President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the families of fallen IDF soldiers whose resting places are unknown at a memorial state ceremony at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl on Thursday.
“At the heart of our being here today there is one absolute truth. The obligation of the State of Israel and those who lead it to do everything possible for our soldiers who did not return from battle. This is a moral obligation of the highest order," said President Rivlin.
"We must do everything possible to bring them home to be buried here in Israel,” added Rivlin.
Netanyahu eulogized fallen soldiers from the War of Independence to recent Operations.
"I and all the citizens of Israel stand by you in deep solidarity, your pain, our pain, your sorrow, our grief, and I know it is a double sorrow," Netanyahu said, adding that "because the cry is accompanied by the cry - where are those dear ones?"
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a memorial ceremony on Mount Herzl for IDF fallen soldiers whose place of burial is unknown, March 14th, 2019 (Credit: Kobi Gideon/GPO)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a memorial ceremony on Mount Herzl for IDF fallen soldiers whose place of burial is unknown, March 14th, 2019 (Credit: Kobi Gideon/GPO)
"Every new grave carved on this mountain or in any other military cemetery means a family whose world has been destroyed, each new grave being a wound in the heart of the people," he added.
The annual ceremony is held on the 7th of Adar, which according to tradition is the day of the death of Moses, whose burial place is unknown. It takes place at the Garden of the Missing in Action on Mount Herzl, which memorializes IDF soldiers and fighters.
Since the War of Independence in 1948, over 400 soldiers have been declared missing in action.
"Your pain, as families of fallen IDF soldiers whose resting places are unknown, is even greater," Rivlin said. "It is a pain doubled. For you, the longing and the heart-wrenching loss are compounded by the uncertainty," he added.