Netanyahu: ‘Israel’s Existence Is Not Up for Negotiation’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke today (Wednesday) at a ceremony bringing the remains of Shimon and Rivka Herzl, the grandparents of Theodor Herzl, the visionary of the State, to Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.

At the start of his remarks, Netanyahu offered support to IDF soldiers and their families: “We send our embrace to our heroic fighters, to the families of the fallen, to our wounded — who are also heroes, in body and spirit.” He said that the people of Israel are still on a “long journey,” comparing the Herzl family’s journey from the lands of the Diaspora to the Land of Israel with the fulfillment of the Zionist vision at Mount Herzl.

Netanyahu devoted a significant portion of his speech to the legacy of the founder of modern Zionism, arguing that Zionism’s foundations rested on Jewish tradition and the chain of generations. The home of Shimon and Rivka Herzl, he said, “provided the roots from which grew a trunk, branches, and fruit,” even during a period when traditional Judaism faced the challenges of modernity and the rise of nationalism in Europe.

The prime minister said that an image of Herzl stands at the entrance to his office, and that when foreign leaders come to visit, he makes a point of stopping with them beside it: “I explain to them that Herzl is the modern Moses.” He added that, in his view, Herzl created the conditions that made the establishment of the state possible. Herzl’s vision, he said, was paired with practicality and pragmatism, which is why he sees him as the first Jewish statesman of the modern era to act on behalf of the Jewish people.

Netanyahu then connected Herzl’s vision to the current security reality. He said that throughout the “War of Revival,” Israel made significant decisions “in the face of all the pressures, all the pressures, from outside and from within,” which, he said, led to major achievements on the battlefronts. “The spirit of the Maccabees beats in the younger generation — the generation of victory,” he said, adding that this generation is prepared “to strike those who seek our harm and ensure the security of the homeland.”

Netanyahu also stressed the importance of national unity. He said he had visited the IDF induction base earlier and met recruits from across the country. Though they come from different backgrounds — “religious, secular, everyone, Jews and non-Jews” — they are united around the shared mission of defending the state, he said.

He went on to address the lessons of the October 7 attack: “We understood many things after October 7.” Israel, he said, will not allow the establishment of “a Palestinian terror state that we know is intended to destroy the Jewish nation-state,” adding that Israel is fighting forces that seek to harm the values of “progress, democracy, freedom, and liberty.”

The prime minister then turned to the Iranian threat, saying: “Today we heard the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps openly declare Iran’s intention to continue developing nuclear weapons — ‘to continue,’ that is what he said.” In response, Netanyahu said: “Well, as prime minister of Israel, I too am determined to continue — to continue preventing Iran from possessing nuclear weapons.”

He also addressed President Donald Trump and Israel’s relationship with Washington: “President Trump is our greatest friend, the greatest friend we have had in the White House,” he said, adding that the United States is Israel’s central ally and that the two countries are working together against Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Still, he emphasized that “Israel’s existence is not up for negotiation. With an agreement or without an agreement, I am determined, we are all determined, to do everything necessary to ensure our security and our future.”

Netanyahu also addressed the wave of antisemitism around the world and criticism directed at Israel. IDF soldiers, he said, are “the bravest soldiers, the most moral soldiers, and the most vilified soldiers on earth,” adding that the slander coming from abroad must not also be heard within Israel. He also said that many world leaders tell him that Israel serves as a model for them in the fight against radical Islam.

He concluded with a symbolic reference to bringing the remains of Shimon and Rivka Herzl to Israel: “Zionism won. The grandson, Theodor Herzl, won. And with Hashem’s help and the courage of our fighters — we are winning.”