This year is not an ordinary year. Far from it. The world, as we Israelis knew it, was turned upside down on October 7th, 2023.
๐๐บ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ข๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ป๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ธ's ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ 76๐๐ต ๐๐ป๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฒ๐น'๐ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ
Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, dear friends,
Good evening, Kalispera sas, ืขืจื ืืื and shalom!
Preparing this speech was much more difficult than any other speech I have written in my life.
In an ordinary year, this speech almost writes itself. In an ordinary year, there is an easy-to-follow recipe; you simply take:
โข 500 grams of national achievements;
โข One kilo of bilateral relations of the finest kind;
โข You balance the excessive sweetness with 100 grams of threats and challenges;
โข You rush to ease the concerns with a generous dash of optimism;
โข You decorate with an amusing anecdote;
โข You sign off with acknowledgments.
โข Mix well and serve at room temperature.
Easy.
But this year is not an ordinary year. Far from it. The world, as we Israelis knew it, was turned upside down on October 7th, 2023. The atrocious Hamas terror attack on the holiday of Simchat Tora shook us to our core.
Tonight, we gather here in Nicosia to mark Israelโs 76th year of independence. I carefully chose the word โmarkโ and not โcelebrateโ because, unfortunately, it is a different Independence Day this year.
The celebration, the pride and joy that usually accompany this day are mixed this time with sadness, pain, grief and the sense of loss.
We mourn the many who died. We pray for the recovery of those wounded in body and mind. We hope for the release of all the hostages. And we aspire for the return to their homes of the tens of thousands of displaced Israelis.
The torch-lighting ceremony held annually in Jerusalem on the eve of Independence Day was dedicated this year to the heroism of Israelis.
Twelve torches were lit by representatives of different groups of people who acted heroically: security forces, first responders, paramedics, fire-fighters, and many more.
I think the most moving torch-lighters of all were those citizens who rescued other people on October 7th. They did it not because they had to, or because it was their job. They did it out of altruism and a strong sense of solidarity with their compatriots.
59-year-old Rami Davidian, a soft-spoken father of four and a fuel distributor, is such an unlikely hero. Since he lived in a community not far from Gaza, he was asked that morning by a friend to try to rescue his son who was at the Nova festival.
Rami did not hesitate. He took his car and headed out. The area was infested with terrorists, but based on his knowledge of the local terrain, he found ways to reach the young man and get him out to safety.
He continued to help more people. He made more than 15 forays into areas hit by gunfire and rockets. He drove repeatedly into life-threatening situations, dodging Hamas bullets to locate survivors and bring them back to his home. They were hiding in ditches, and behind and up trees, terrified that the terrorists would find them. Altogether, it is estimated that 700 young people were rescued thanks to Ramiโs heroic actions.
As we all know, Ramiโs heroic story is just one of many stories that tell us what happened on October 7th. The vast majority of these stories did not have a happy end. Ramiโs niece, 18-year-old soldier Ofir Davidian, was killed that day by Hamasโs terrorists.
If you look around, you can see the pictures that shed some light on what happened that day and the days that followed: death, destruction, loss, grief and fear. But also: solidarity, compassion, fraternity, collaboration and even glimpses of hope.
When disaster strikes, time plays an important role in easing the pain and healing the trauma. It allows to grieve and recuperate, to restore and rebuild.
But there is one horrifying aspect of the October 7th events that is an open and bleeding wound in the hearts of all of us.
128 men, women, elderly and children are being held hostage by the murderous terrorist organization Hamas for 229 days.
Innocent people who were forcibly and brutally taken from their homes on the morning of the holiday; many of them still wearing their pajamas.
Those of them who survived are kept in harsh conditions, including in underground tunnels, and undergo terrible abuse and torment by their murderous captors.
The relatives and friends of those abducted do not even have the comfort that others can find in the time that has passed and in knowing what has happened to their loved ones.
Every morning these people reawaken to a never-ending nightmare:
โข Romi's mother hopes that her daughter was not raped;
โข Omerโs father asks whether his chronically-ill son is being given medical treatment;
โข Odedโs grandson wonders if his grandpa is still alive;
โข Dolevโs wife prays he would see his daughter that was born 9 days after he was abducted;
โข And Orโs twin sister just misses her so badly.
To my left you can see the corner we dedicated to the hostages. Until the last minute we had to change the inscription on the panel, because a few days ago the IDF retrieved from Gaza 4 bodies of hostages. A sad closure that at least allows 4 families to start grieving.
In this corner, you can see the faces of the hostages and learn more about them. I invite you to take and wear a yellow ribbon pin in support of the demand for their immediate and unconditional.
Since October 7th we have witnessed diverse reactions around the world to the events of that day and for what has unfolded since.
We saw manifestations of support and compassion alongside harsh criticism, baseless allegations and the worst outburst of antisemitism since WWII. Thankfully, here in Cyprus we saw more of the former and less of the latter.
I am honored to serve as the Israeli Ambassador in this beautiful island. I am proud for being given the privilege to advance the already strong relations that our countries have forged throughout the years.
AS many of you know, in the aftermath of the Holocaust, Cyprus served as transit point for Jewish refugees fleeing persecution and seeking a new beginning in the Land of Israel.
Today, we see the fruits of our enduring partnership blooming. From joint ventures in high-tech to investments in tourism and diplomatic collaboration. Israel and Cyprus continue to chart a course towards an even brighter future.
The depth of the relations was clearly demonstrated in the successful implementation of a maritime corridor to Gaza, known here as โThe Amalthea Planโ. This successful humanitarian initiative was made possible only thanks to the excellent relations and the high level of trust between Israel and Cyprus.
Unfortunately, one thing that Israel and Cyprus have in common is a decades-long conflict with neighbors. In July Cyprus will mark 50 years to the Turkish invasion.
When I read some of the testimonies by Greek-Cypriots of the horrific events that took place in the summer of 1974, I wasnโt sure whether the description was of the atrocities committed by the Turkish soldiers 50 years ago or those committed by Hamasโs terrorists 7 months ago.
I would like to seize this opportunity to wish my Cypriot friends that they will soon witness the reunification of the island, through negotiations based on international law and the relevant Security Council resolutions.
This has turned to be a rather long speech. There are still many things that I would have liked to tell you.
I havenโt mentioned the regional threats from Iran, Hizballah or the Houthis.
I havenโt mentioned also the opportunities in the fields of energy, health and cultural exchanges on the bilateral and the trilateral spheres.
But one should know to quit while aheadโฆ