One of the fundamentals requisites for independence is the willingness to fight for it, but that exacts a painful price – our fallen sons and daughters, brothers and sisters. We owe them everything.

For over sixty-eight years we have been fighting the war for our independence. There is a terrible price to be a nation determined to protect its independence. We will stand strong against anyone who dares to put our resolve to the test in any way.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu maintained his annual tradition of reading a poem written by his father-in-law Shmuel Ben-Artzi in 1941, after losing touch with his family in Europe but before he knew of their fate.

Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the NATO announcement and called it an important step in enhancing Israel’s security.

The horrors of Bergen-Belsen and the Holocaust have bequeathed a responsibility to later generations to ensure that the Jewish people would never again be helpless.

We will forever know how to protect ourselves by ourselves. The Holocaust will forever place us, the Jewish people, as eternal prosecutors on the stage of humanity, prosecutor against anti-Semitism, racism and ultra-nationalism.

The tragedy that befell our people must never happen again. Today, in our eternal capital Jerusalem, I reiterate the commitment: There will never be another Holocaust.

The UNESCO resolution has no practical validity. Nevertheless, we will not permit international entities to blur the Jewish people’s connection to its eternal capital.

The government is investing considerable capital in countering the tunnel threat. This is an ongoing effort that will not end overnight. We are investing in this and will continue to do so with determination.

In the early evening, an explosion on a Jerusalem bus and a subsequent fire led to the injury of 21 people, including passengers on a passing bus and in a nearby car.

In the 49 years that the Golan Heights have been under Israeli rule, they have been for agriculture, tourism, economic initiatives and building. In the stormy region around us, Israel is the stabilizing factor; Israel is the solution, not the problem.

There are attempts to rekindle the unrest and the violence, especially over Passover and the Temple Mount. Ahead of Passover, all kinds of extremist elements are spreading lies about our policy on the Temple Mount. We are working against these inciters.

This is a moment of genuine crisis, and the obligation to avert the outbreak of violence rests upon the shoulders of each and every one of us. Israel is committed to the status quo, is vigilant in its enforcement, and will ensure it is maintained.

At their meeting with PM Netanyahu, the delegation expressed strong support for Israel.

Over 450 diplomats and foreign journalists are expected to participate in the event, the first of its kind held in Israel.