My net assessment is that Israel is winning on all battlefronts, even though there are inevitable conflicts ahead. Neither the perpetual Palestinian conundrum, nor the Iranian threat to Israel, nor the unstable regional situation – truly cloud Israel's future.
I look at my grandson, who was born exactly on Gil-ad's birthday, and in some ways, we come full circle, but in others, we are reminded that Gil-ad was our only son.
On the eve of Independence Day, 73.5% of citizens are Jewish.
"The photos remind us of the joy of independence and the sense of unity that accompanied the establishment of the state," Efrat Sinai, director of archives at KKL-JNF, says.
Remembrance events will continue until Tuesday night, at which point the country will shift to celebrations over Israel's 75 years of independence.
