Rachel Goldberg-Polin, the mother of 23-year-old hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was murdered by Hamas, is not a professional diplomat, but she has become one of the best internationally known ambassadors for the hostages still captive in Gaza.
In a moving address at the conclusion of the annual reception for the foreign diplomatic corps co-hosted by President Isaac Herzog and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Goldberg-Polin spoke of what her son had done to motivate other hostages to maintain the willpower to stay alive by asking each other, not “How” but “Why?”
Every day, hostages asked each other, “What is your why?” It became a prayer and a mantra, she said.
She was certain that powerful people could bring about the return of the hostages. “It’s doable” but dependent on interest, she said.
Thanking Israel’s allies for tackling Jerusalem wildfires
The diplomats listened spellbound and gave her a standing ovation. The hostages were also mentioned in the addresses by the president and the foreign minister.
Herzog also expressed profound gratitude to the countries and governments that stepped up with offers to help Israel fight the fires.
In a brief history lesson about the beginnings of the state, which he said was built up by Holocaust survivors, Herzog said that from these beginnings, Israel has become a world leader in medicine, agriculture, and many other fields.Yet, at the same time, Israel has been forced to stand up to the axis of evil.
“It is not just our battle,” he said. “We must stand together” to ensure that Iran never has nuclear power. Herzog called on nations, governments, and all people of morality to seize the moment, adding that diplomacy and dialogue will forge new relationships.
Despite the radicalism, there is already evidence of collaboration, he said. He hopes the day will come when Israel will have peace with the Palestinians, the Saudis, Lebanon, and Syria and that the corridors of connectivity from Israel to India will not be a dream but a reality.
Sa’ar thanked Herzog for his contribution to Israel’s foreign relations and devoted the bulk of his address to Israel’s right to defend itself.
Israel’s achievements, he said, derive from constantly fighting for survival. In 1948, the population of the country was only 800,000. Today, it is 10.1 million, and almost half the world’s Jews live in Israel. Soon, most of the world’s Jews will live in Israel, he predicted. “This is an unbelievable shift in Jewish history,” he said.
Returning to the subject of self-defense, Sa’ar quoted one of his earliest predecessors in office, Golda Meir, who said that other countries could afford to lose a war, but Israel could not afford to lose a single war.
“The Jewish People will never again lay down their weapons,” Sa’ar pledged.
He called on the international community to fulfill its role in protecting minorities, particularly the Druze in Syria, and not to turn a blind eye.
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