BICOM

Israel came to a standstill yesterday evening as a one-minute siren marked the beginning of Remembrance Day in memory of 23,085 Israelis who have fallen in the line of duty. The names of forty nine servicemen and women were added to this list during the past year.

The siren was followed by a ceremony at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, where President Shimon Peres lit a memorial torch. He addressed the bereaved families saying, “Perhaps it will comfort you, even a little, the knowledge that we…will always remember them.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasised the loss of “Muslims, Christians, Bedouin, Druse and Jewish…soldiers that have come from all walks of society.” Netanyahu told his cabinet earlier in the day, “Since the moment the state was founded, it has never ceased wishing for peace with its neighbours, while at the same time, its enemies never ceased aspiring to eradicate it from this land.”

This morning, a two-minute siren at 11am (local time) will signal the start of memorial ceremonies across the country at military cemeteries, in schools and in many work places. Regular television and radio programming is suspended for the day. The state memorial ceremony will take place at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem and will be followed by a ceremony for the victims of terror attacks. The Defence Ministry estimates that more than 1.5 million Israelis will visit military cemeteries today.

This evening, the traditional torch lighting ceremony on Mount Herzl will signal the end of Remembrance Day and the start of Independence Day as the mood of the country switches from sadness to celebration. Millions of Israelis will participate in popular barbeques and picnics throughout tomorrow, which is a national holiday. The perennial Israel Air Force flyover in the morning will be followed by the presentation of the Israel Prize to recipients for outstanding achievement.