(Communicated by the President’s Spokesperson)
In honor of Israel’s 75th Independence Day, President Isaac Herzog and First Lady Michal Herzog hosted a festive Independence Day reception for the foreign diplomatic corps at the President’s Residence today (Wednesday, 26 April 2023).
At the official reception in the President's Residence Gardens, the guests were treated to a selection of Israeli boutique wines, artisanal cheeses, fine chocolates, Made-in-Israel whiskeys, and scrumptious ice creams. The diplomats were also treated to musical performances by a 27-member ensemble of the Jerusalem Orchestra East & West, a multicultural orchestra comprising musicians from three religions, from all over the country and from all of Israel’s diverse groups, accompanied by artists Avraham De Carvalho and Israela Asago.
The reception was attended by around 400 guests, including ambassadors, consuls-general, and military attachés from around 120 countries and organizations and the leaders of religious communities in Israel. Minister of Foreign Affairs Eli Cohen and his wife Mrs. Anat Cohen, Office of the President Director-General Eyal Shviki, MFA Director-General Ronen Levi, and other dignitaries also participated.
President Isaac Herzog’s full remarks:
"It is a great pleasure for my wife Michal and me to welcome all of you to this reception at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, to celebrate together this historic milestone: Israel’s 75th Independence Day!
The tradition of an Independence Day diplomatic reception began with Israel’s first President, Dr. Chaim Weizmann, who once said: “Miracles sometimes occur, but one has to work terribly hard for them.” Indeed, the modern State of Israel is a true miracle. And it is one that we have had to work terribly hard to achieve. When our founders declared the establishment of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948—a state founded on the prophetic visions of a world of freedom, justice and peace—many believed that the newborn country would not survive. Few would have predicted the course of our improbable story. Today, we are a country on the front lines of the efforts to make it a better world for us all, in the spirit of our founding vision.
We are at the forefront of innovation in medicine, science, technology and sustainability; improving children’s health and access to clean water in developing countries; enhancing food security in arid regions; and helping to combat climate change and cyber threats across the globe, amongst so many other contributions across so many fields.
None of this is a given. The freedom afforded by independence is also an initiation into awesome responsibility. And our work is not over. It is ongoing. Our independence, and the democratic pillars on which it rests, must never be taken for granted and must always be defended. Of course, debate and disagreement in a democracy are not only natural. They are critical. And the fact that, as we mark 75, Israelis are fiercely debating fundamental questions about our system of checks and balances demonstrates that our democratic discourse is vibrant and that our citizens are fully engaged. This, too, is a mark of pride. Even as it demands of us to show up for the difficult work of hearing and listening to each other. And recognizing that there exists a multitude of opinions in our society.
As President, I have been working around the clock to facilitate dialogue that can help us reach broad national consensus on these critical questions. I am driven by the firm belief that with goodwill and a willingness to engage in honest dialogue, our democracy can emerge from this reckoning stronger than ever.
Born amidst conflict and war, Israel has grown to see remarkable peace spread throughout this region. Beginning with our trailblazing partners, Egypt and Jordan, this voice for peace has continually grown louder. Normalization has spread throughout our region, with the Abraham Accords with the UAE and Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan, which are driving widening circles of prosperity and progress. This new reality is already improving lives and enhancing prosperity across the region, opening up endless new possibilities in the realms of trade, technology, energy and security. But it has also offered something more essential, at this very critical crossroads for humanity. It has offered a new paradigm of cooperation. It has offered evidence that we can harness the best of what each of us has, to everyone’s benefit. And it has reminded all of us in the Middle East that we share a neighborhood and a future. That we have so much to gain from jointly approaching the challenges we all face.
Therefore, the choice for peace may be one that we are asked to make again and again. And it is upon us to keep making it. Especially when Iran and its proxies in Gaza, Syria, and Lebanon—Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamic Jihad—have, in recent weeks, sought to capitalize on Israel’s domestic debate, misreading the vitality of our internal democratic discourse as a weakness; as an opening to wreak havoc. Throughout the month of Ramadan, a time of sacredness and compassion for so many, they stained our beautiful landscape with destruction and violence, robbing the lives of innocent Israelis and tourists. We have made clear that we will always take every measure to protect our people. That we will fight to maintain stability while keeping our hand extended in peace to all nations in the region, including to our closest neighbors, the Palestinians.
My friends, I invite all of you to be our partners, in the journey toward a better, safer, kinder Middle East.
I share my personal gratitude with each and every one of you for your relationships with the Office of the President, for the dialogue, for the collaborations with your countries, and for the ongoing work with my staff and me. I especially want to thank my friend, Eli Cohen, our foreign minister, for his leadership, Ronen Levi, Director General of the Foreign Ministry, and all of the wonderful and talented people at Israel’s Foreign Ministry, who are working with us to strengthen Israel’s foreign relations. It is so important that our voice be heard in your capitals. Thank you once again. Happy Independence Day! Yom HaAtzmaut Sameach!"