(Haaretz).Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Monday to spare no effort to secure the release of abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, speaking at the official opening ceremony of Israel's Memorial Day.
"We'll spare no effort to bring back the abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit," said Netanyahu at Jerusalem's Ammunition Hill, the site of a hard-fought battle in the 1967 Six Day War.
In his speech, Netanyahu praised the achievements of the army and its soldiers.
"We are a nation that desires life," he said, "and as such and we will continue to strengthen our shield. The IDF, Mossad, Shin Bet, Border Police and all the arms of the security forces guarantee [our] security and the conditions for peace."
The prime minister also spoke of his own personal loss, referring to the death of his brother Jonathan in the 1976 IDF raid on Entebbe.
"The price we have paid and are still paying is unbearable, I know," he said. "My family has also been struck by bereavement; your sorrow is my sorrow. I feel the pain deep in my heart and carry with me the memory, the yearning and the burden of the loss."
