Former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon was laid to rest on his family farm in the south of Israel. Grieving relatives were joined by international leaders and officials representing the Israeli government and military.
Among the most memorable eulogies of the day were those delivered by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and one of Sharon’s sons, Gilad.
When the international reaction to one of the terror attacks against us seemed too conciliatory to him, he appealed to the international community and said the following: “Do not repeat the dreadful mistake of 1938 when enlightened democracies in Europe decided to sacrifice Czechoslovakia for a convenient temporary solution. Do not try to appease the Arabs at our expense. We will not tolerate it”. End quote.
Arik understood that when it came to our existence and our security, we must stand firm. These are principles that we continue to safeguard. The State of Israel will continue to fight terrorism; the State of Israel will continue to strive for peace while preserving its security; and the State of Israel will make every effort to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
They said you can’t overcome the terror of the 1950s. They said tanks can’t do flanking maneuvers in the dunes north of Um Katef in 1967. They said you can’t cross the Suez Canal in the Yom Kippur War, until you did and ended the war. They said there is no alternative to new immigrants living in tents [during the mass immigration wave in the 1990s from the former Soviet Union]. They said terror can’t be defeated in the early 2000s. So they said. But you proved otherwise. Doing the impossible is how legends are born, national myths.
Vice President Joe Biden represented the U.S. at the gravesite.
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