Greetings from Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom
to the Jewish Communities in the Diaspora
on the occasion of Israel’s 56th Independence Day 5764 - 2004
Friends,
It is a great honor to convey to you my warmest wishes on the occasion of Israel’s 56th Independence Day.
This is a day of celebration for the entire Jewish people.
On this day we celebrate Israel’s democratic values and institutions, and our Jewish way of life.
We celebrate our independent judiciary and free press; our pioneering creativity in the sciences, medicine and agriculture; our success in absorbing millions of immigrants and refugees from other lands; our cultural richness and diversity; and our ability to defend our citizens from harm.
We celebrate the living dream which is the modern rebirth of the Jewish people in its homeland.
The small community of six-hundred-thousand Israelis (600,000) who danced in the streets this day, 56 years ago - and who fought off the Arab attacks launched against us - has grown now to a flourishing, pluralistic, hi-tech society of nearly seven million people. As the son of immigrants, I know the significance of the gift that this small state gives its citizens every day, through its very existence and the values and opportunities it promotes.
Looking back over the fifty-six years of our independence, it is important to remember that none of our achievements can be taken for granted. Particularly at this time of national celebration, we bow our heads to honor the many thousands of men and women who paid the ultimate price so that our country may survive and flourish.
We pay tribute, too, to the solidarity and support of Jewish communities from around the world. Through your commitment and mobilization on behalf of Israel in every sphere, the Jewish communities of the world have contributed profoundly to our national success.
Over the last fifty-six years, Israel has faced many challenges and dangers, some of which continue today. Sadly, we still face hostility from within the Palestinian Authority and from Syria and other Arab countries, Iran and Islamic militants elsewhere. The threat of terrorism continues, even as our national - and the international - fight against it gains momentum.
Anti-Semitism too has emerged once again as a danger, not only to Israel but to Jewish communities around the world. Israel, the Jewish world, and the entire international community, must remain united and mobilized in the battle against terrorism, anti-Semitism and racism - the enemies of our values and our shared way of life. This is the challenge of our age.
Of course, we still have much work ahead of us to safeguard what we have built, and to fulfill the aspirations of our people for a peaceful and better future. But we draw strength and encouragement from our success so far. Particularly from our historic peace treaty with Egypt - of which we celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary just a few weeks ago - and our peace treaty with Jordan, as well as from our close friendship with the majority of the world’s nations. I draw particular encouragement from the progress we are making in contacts with the Arab world, to which we attach great importance.
As we look to the future on this day of celebration, we pledge to continue to do everything in our power to bring peace, security and prosperity to our people. We also reaffirm our unity with the Jewish people as we continue together to make the Zionist dream a reality.
From Jerusalem - the city of peace, united and eternal capital of the Jewish people - I extend to you all, warm greetings as we celebrate together the wonderful gift that is the modern State of Israel.