(Ynet).On the eve of Israel's 62nd Independence Day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opened the weekly cabinet meeting with a quote from State visionary, Theodor Herzl: "Don't rely on the help of foreigners".
As the cabinet marked 150 years since Herzl's birth, Netanyahu said, "On June 11, 1901, Herzl said something that captured me: 'Do not rely on the help of foreigners, nor on benefactors. And do not expect stones to become soft because benefactors give humiliating donations. A nation that wants to stand upright must rely on itself alone.',I was not familiar with this quote, but you learn something interesting and important every day."
Netanyahu's comments were not in reference to Israel's ties with the United States, but at a time when the Obama administration continues to pressure the Israeli government, the connection is hard to overlook.
"The 62nd Independence Day marks the State's achievements on the 150th anniversary of the birth of Herzl, the man who began his activity at age 36 and ended it at age 44. In eight years he changed the history of the Jewish people and the history of mankind.
"He took a scattered people and gathered it. He foresaw the deterioration in Europe. It is incorrect that he did not write about the Holocaust – he wrote about it dozens of times."
He added, "It is important for every boy and girl to know who the State's visionary is. This rare personality that is, in my eyes, comparable to one of Israel's ancient prophets. Without him, there would be no State, and we would not be sitting around this table."
As the cabinet marked 150 years since Herzl's birth, Netanyahu said, "On June 11, 1901, Herzl said something that captured me: 'Do not rely on the help of foreigners, nor on benefactors. And do not expect stones to become soft because benefactors give humiliating donations. A nation that wants to stand upright must rely on itself alone.',I was not familiar with this quote, but you learn something interesting and important every day."
Netanyahu's comments were not in reference to Israel's ties with the United States, but at a time when the Obama administration continues to pressure the Israeli government, the connection is hard to overlook.
"The 62nd Independence Day marks the State's achievements on the 150th anniversary of the birth of Herzl, the man who began his activity at age 36 and ended it at age 44. In eight years he changed the history of the Jewish people and the history of mankind.
"He took a scattered people and gathered it. He foresaw the deterioration in Europe. It is incorrect that he did not write about the Holocaust – he wrote about it dozens of times."
He added, "It is important for every boy and girl to know who the State's visionary is. This rare personality that is, in my eyes, comparable to one of Israel's ancient prophets. Without him, there would be no State, and we would not be sitting around this table."