Addressing a special debate of the Knesset Plenum on Monday in honor of Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama, Prime minister mk Benjamin Netanyahu (Likud) said, “We have brought home the hero of Israel [Sgt. 1st Class] Ran Gvili, of blessed memory. There are no more hostages in Gaza. I congratulate the commanders of the IDF and the [Israeli Security Agency] on the flawless execution of this mission. I promised you, citizens of Israel – we will bring everyone home. We all wore the pin, and now that the mission has been completed, it can be removed, for the sons and daughters have returned to their borders. I wish to thank Gal Hirsch for his tireless dedication to this mission.
”We have completed this mission, and so too will we complete the rest of the missions we have set. My good friend, Prime Minister of Albania – welcome to Israel, welcome to Jerusalem, the eternal capital of Israel. The Albanian flag is flying today in the streets of Jerusalem. It is a heart-warming sight. Until a few decades ago, this would have been unimaginable. Relations between Albania and Israel are closer than ever, both at the political level and personal level.
“Our friendship is expressed in Albania’s open support for Israel in international forums and in standing with the truth against the lies hurled at us. There is something deeper here, and that is the profound empathy that comes from the depths of the heart. People feel it. It also reflects your nation. Albania understands Israel just as Israel understands Albania.
“Prime Minister, you precisely defined Hamas’s actions on October 7 and said they were Nazis. This was an act intended to wipe us off the face of the earth. You supported our natural right to defend ourselves against human evil, which will ultimately threaten all countries and all continents. We have returned all our hostages to Israel, and today, the last of them. We are at the threshold of the next phase: Disarming Hamas and demilitarizing the Gaza Strip. The next phase is not reconstruction. We have an interest in advancing this phase and not delaying it. The sooner we do so, the sooner we will complete the objectives of the war. As an Albanian patriot, you know how to appreciate heroism – and Albania has many heroes.
“Our heroic soldiers are defending the State of Israel with extraordinary courage. The capabilities of the axis of evil are far from what they were on the eve of the war. Hamas in Gaza will be disarmed. Gaza will be demilitarized. This will happen, as our friend Trump said, the easy way or the hard way – but it will happen. We will continue to stand alert against any threat from Iran. Any attempt by Iran to harm us will be met with a resolute response. It would be a very grave mistake – one mistake too many.
“At the same time, we will work to expand the circle of peace in our region. We will advance new alliances and additional agreements with Muslim countries. You are a leader of a country that is among the Muslim countries that stand on the right side of history. Israel is the defensive line of the entire civilized world. How great is the distance between radical Islam and the heritage of moderate Islam in Albania.
“We stand by the words ‘Never again,’ and ‘Never again’ is now. The chapter of the Holocaust in our history will never be forgotten. What will also never be forgotten are the exemplary deeds of the Righteous Among the Nations – and this was uniquely so in Albania. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of Muslim Albanians risked their lives to save Jews. Albania was an island of grace in an ocean of hostility.
“In 1991, we established diplomatic relations with Albania. Since then we have advanced step by step, and in recent years – Edi – this has happened thanks to you, and in giant strides. The Albania you lead is determined to leap to heights of success. I hold in very high regard the economic reforms you have led in Albania. Israeli investors recognize this. Israeli tourists are savvy, and have identified Albania as a tourist destination; they return from Albania enchanted. There has been a 1,000 percent increase in Israeli tourism to Albania.
“On this visit, we are together painting a big picture in bright colors – of a promising future for Albania and for the State of Israel. Welcome to Jerusalem and to the State of Israel, which embraces you,” Prime Minister MK Netanyahu said in his speech.
Related Topics
