My many friends,
The parade ground of Bahad 1 is a small spot on the map of the land. But this concrete expanse holds great importance, far greater than its physical size.
As I walked among the ranks; as I shook hands with the officers, standing together – shoulder to shoulder – without divisions; Jews and non-Jews; men and women; secular and religious; city dwellers, villagers, and kibbutz members; as I did this, I wanted to expand with you, but I was constantly urged to move forward with the ceremony. I would have been happy to talk with each and every one of you and hear your experiences. Most of you have already been to Gaza. Quite a few have also seen combat. And as I walked among you, I felt the wonderful spirit that beats in the “People’s Army.” Because that is exactly what we have here. The People’s Army. The IDF – with its soldiers and commanders – comes from the people, and the people place their trust in the IDF. They place their trust in you.
My esteemed President, Isaac Herzog,
Minister of Defense, Israel Katz,
Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Aviv Kochavi,
Commander of the Ground Forces, Major General Nadav Lotan,
Commander of the Officers’ School, Colonel Eliab Elbaz,
The command and training staff at Bahad 1.
I appreciate everyone who came here – from near and far – to participate in this moving occasion. And especially, I say this to you – my brothers and sisters in the bereaved families. Together with the entire nation, I embrace you in your sorrow. Together with the entire nation, I salute your sons and daughters – the torchbearers of Israel’s heroism! We will forever remember the sacrifice of the fallen – their devotion, thanks to which our state exists.
With the same spirit of brotherhood, we embrace those wounded in body and soul, who have moved from one war to another – the war of rehabilitation. We will continue to accompany our dear wounded – throughout their recovery journey.
Graduates’ families, you are worthy of this day. You are worthy of this light that shines upon you and the light that radiates from you. For you are full partners in the success of the new officers. I see some of you with the printed shirts, with the signs of support for your loved ones – and my heart swells. The values you have instilled in the course graduates are bearing fruit. Well done to you, families – and thank you on behalf of the people of Israel and the citizens of Israel.
And now to you, the new officers in the combat command array of the Israel Defense Forces: Many generations have dreamed of this sublime moment, when upright commanders will lead the defense force of independent Israel. From a scattered and battered people – we have become a people rooted in its homeland, proud of its strength, securing its future. And you proudly represent this independence of the State of Israel.
Here, at Bahad 1, you have received an answer to two questions – why to command and how to command.
Why to command? To lead, to influence, and to decide.
And how to command? With professionalism, with tactics, with excellence, with daring, all to ensure the victory of Israel.
The people trust you. I trust you.
My esteemed colleagues,
I too stood on this parade ground years ago, when I completed the officers’ course. And therefore, I know: the starting point of the officers’ course – is very different from its ending point. Throughout the training course, you acquired extensive knowledge. You delved into the fundamentals of maneuver. You trained, you were forged, you successfully passed a personal and group character test.
And I want to say to you and to all citizens of Israel, we have all undergone a similar process in the War of Return. The starting point of the war is not necessarily its ending point. At the beginning of the war, we knew a terrible massacre perpetrated by the monsters from the Gaza Strip. In the face of the terrible cruelty of bloodthirsty terrorists, we stood on our feet. We waged a fierce war against our attackers. We exacted very heavy prices from those who sought our lives. We removed the noose that the Iranian “axis of evil” sought to place around our necks. And no less importantly – we brought back all our captives to the land, down to the last one – Rani Guili, may he rest in peace.
During the intense fighting, I met some of you in the field – as regular fighters – long before you came to the officers’ course. I saw your determination up close. I marveled at your courage. I salute your daring, and I salute your belief in the righteousness of our path. You charged forward into the terrorist strongholds. You destroyed enemy infrastructure. You demolished death tunnels. You eliminated terrorists – very many terrorists.
The spirit of victory accompanied you every step of the way. Your mighty spirit, together with the mighty spirit of the entire nation – gave me and the Israeli government strong backing to make informed and bold decisions. In the face of immense pressure from home and abroad – we did not fold, we did not give up. From Gaza to Yemen, from Lebanon to Iran – anyone who attacked us, felt the might of our hand.
And if someone hasn’t noticed yet, there have been some important changes in Israel’s security concepts – that developed before and after the establishment of the state: in the 1920s, Jabotinsky’s “Iron Wall” doctrine emerged. The protective wall – is our military and security strength intended to deter and block attacks.
A decade later, the principle of “going beyond the fence” was adopted, inspired by the British officer Orde Wingate, who was a friend of the Yishuv. “Going beyond the fence” gained prominence from the days of the underground movements: not just defense – but also preemptive attacks on those who wished us harm. The first Prime Minister – Ben-Gurion – who advocated deterrence and decisiveness, emphasized the need to move the focus of the war to enemy territory.
Now, in the War of Return, we have refined this principle tenfold. We went far beyond the borders of the country, to the capitals of the enemy. Almost all of them. We operated in an unprecedented radius – at a very great distance – to remove existential threats from us, as I promised on the first day of the war. We have changed the face of the middle East. And I tell you, no less importantly, we have changed ourselves. Today, Israel is a stronger country than ever before. Those who boasted that Israel was as weak as a spiderweb – received the appropriate answer. Our iron fist struck hard at every aggressor.
But my esteemed colleagues, with all the great achievements we have accomplished together – it is important to remember: just as after the great achievements in the Six-Day War, the middle East is now at a crossroads. Extremist elements refuse to give up. They are regrouping – to challenge us again. We are working closely with our great ally, the United States. I have clarified to President Trump the principles that, in Israel’s opinion, should guide any negotiation with Iran.
We are prepared for any scenario. And if the ayatollahs make a mistake and attack us – they will experience a response they cannot even imagine.
Regarding Gaza – our forces are encircling the Gaza Strip, where the war began, from all sides. In accordance with the war objectives we set – Hamas will be disarmed and Gaza will be demilitarized. We have agreed with our friends in the United States: there will be no reconstruction of the Strip before the Strip is demilitarized.
Soon Hamas will face a dilemma: to disarm the easy way – or to disarm the hard way. But it will be disarmed, and Gaza will no longer threaten Israel.
There are other principles in our new security concept. Terrorist armies will no longer camp on our borders.
We will not tolerate the presence of jihadist elements nearby. Buffer zones, or demilitarized zones several kilometers wide along the country’s borders, are a necessary requirement. This is to reduce the risk of a ground invasion. And we stand firm on this. In light of all this, the IDF remains in the buffer zones in lebanon and Syria.
And another principle: no more containment of threats, no more “war between the wars” (MABAM), no more “villa in the jungle” concept, where you hide from the predators beyond the wall. On the contrary: if you don’t go to the jungle – the jungle comes to you. And we go out and preemptively deal with threats. Therefore, we will act with repeated operations to neutralize risks in the area as needed. We will also act to strengthen alliances with our allies. Next week, the Prime Minister of India will visit the country. A giant power. And of course, you know that a few days ago I returned from another diplomatic visit, the seventh since President Trump’s election for a second term, where I met with a great friend of the State of Israel – US President Trump.
No government has strengthened relations with the United States as we have. Country to country, leader to leader. In the recently published American security concept, Israel is the only country in the world that the US has defined as a “model ally.” And why? Because we have our own independent strength, and the willingness to fight for ourselves. The willingness to fight for our security. We welcome this close cooperation with the US, we welcome and thank for the generous financial assistance we have received from the US government over the years, but at the same time, we are promoting a policy of independence in building strength. Another change in our security concept. A big change. In the next decade, we will completely reduce American financial support for our defense budget. We will move from dependence to a partnership of allies. We will reduce dependence on external factors. We will develop the capabilities ourselves that will ensure our qualitative advantage on the future battlefield.
Dear officers, at the starting point of the course, you were cadet fighters, and at the end point of the course, you are commanders in every sense. From today, you will set high demands for your soldiers – to strive for perfection in execution, to strive for operational success. But always remember: behind the tough exterior, there must be a warm heart that is attentive to its surroundings.
I know, we all know, that four officers from your graduating class fell in battle: Omri, Eran, Ron, and Eitan, may their memory be blessed. The mother of Lieutenant Eitan Avner Ben-Yitzhak, may he rest in peace – Michal Ben-Yitzhak – described her feelings when officers from the “Egoz” unit brought her son’s vest to the family. Michal wrote: “From Aaron the priest who carried the names of the children of Israel on his heart – to the vest of the fighters who carry the people of Israel on their backs – one thread is drawn.”
Many thanks to you – the officers, with your heroic fallen comrades – many thanks to you, this thread, the thread of our people’s life, remains whole. Take care of yourselves, take care of each other, and preserve the eternity of Israel.”
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