The beginning of the new calendar and school year is for me a chance to write to you – the residents of the south, the Gaza surrounding area, Sinai border and the Arava Valley – a few words. The defense and settlement of this country are intertwined, and it is in the name of this concord that I write you.
Four years have passed since Operation Protective Edge and we are on the heels of a tense summer that saw several days of shooting, wounded citizens and soldiers and one IDF casualty – Staff Sgt. Aviv Levi.
It has been a period of numerous security challenges, with the IDF and Southern Command working to create a strong, stable security reality. In our efforts to forge this reality, we may possibly require additional efforts on the front lines and the home front, beyond the border and on the fences of our communities. To this end, we are enhancing our readiness. If need be, we will work together with the local authorities and residents, just as we have done until now.
Over the past year we have advanced our capabilities against the terror tunnels – many of which were detected and destroyed. The new security barrier still under construction will provide even stronger protection.
We prevented Hamas' violent border riots from impinging upon everyday civilian life around Gaza; we defended against and thwarted countless attempts to breach the border. We took action to eradicate the cross-border arson phenomenon, and we contended with it in a manner that will reduce the damage to the surrounding communities. I am pained by every burnt acre, yet I am relieved no one was hurt as a result of these fires.
The passing summer was challenging, but for me it mainly illustrated the home front's fortitude, the strength of the people, the courageous bond between the army and local leaders, and the ability to continue growing despite the security challenges. We will continue to act without pause to ensure peace and quiet for our southern residents, so they can continue living their lives normally.
Ahead of the new year, I'd like to note a line from a song by the Southern Command song troupe in 1972: "From the south will come good tidings." Some 45 years after the Yom Kippur War, the south is progressing and growing stronger and the bond between the army and the communities is the central building block of this development.
I wish the students of the south a positive, fruitful school year and I hope than any time you sprint to a fortified space it will only be as part of a drill.
I hope we will be able to bring the bodies of our soldiers, Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, back home – for the sake of us all, for their families, and in the name of our duty to those who fought and fell in defense of the south.
I wish us success in overcoming all the challenges that come with developing the south and Negev.
Happy New Year!
