April 16, 2012

IDF Military chief: Israel must protect all Jews

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IDF Chief of Staff Lt. - Gen. Benny Gantz

Israel must protect Jews around the world in addition to its own borders, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. - Gen. Benny Gantz said.

“Today we stand against any threat with an army that is capable of beating all its enemies. We must defend the borders of Israel and all its communities, but we must also look around and pay attention to every place where a Jew is harmed for being guilty of nothing but his Jewish identity,” Gantz said, Monday at a seminar for Israel Defense Forces staff at Yad Vashem. The annual seminar comes the same week as Holocaust Remembrance Day.

“If in Kiev a Jew is beaten when leaving a synagogue, and in Toulouse children are murdered in cold blood; if in Georgia and Thailand they try to attack Israeli targets – we must remain steadfast and fulfill Israel’s destiny as a safe harbor for all Jews wherever they may be,” Gantz also said. 

As part of the seminar, a memorial ceremony was held in the Hall of Names.