Israel will never forgive terrorists and nations who sanctify them, Jewish Home chairman Naftali Bennett said on Tuesday evening, at a ceremony in Jerusalem honoring Memorial Day.

“Our sons who gave their lives are a symbol of morality to the whole world, the world that is becoming cruel day by day,” said Bennett.

“Our enemies arose last year to cut off the thread of our lives, using terror tunnels meant to reach children’s rooms in kibbutzim, by using missiles fired into schools and population centers,” he continued. “Our enemies hide behind their women and children in order to hurt our women and children.”

“A nation which sanctifies terrorists, where murderers are heroes, which pays salaries to slaughterers of children, will never be able to be part of other nations,” stated Bennett.

“We will never forget and never forgive it, and never forget those who support [this nation] around the world, reminding us that we can count only on ourselves,” he concluded.

Earlier Tuesday, in an official statement to the nation at the start of Memorial Day, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu emphasized the significance of the sacrifice made by those who fell defending the State of Israel.

Speaking directly to “my brothers and sisters, to the bereaved families,” Netanyahu noted that their fallen loved ones “fell on behalf of the revival of our people and our land.”

“This day is the most difficult for us,” related the PM, whose brother Yoni was killed during the famous IDF operation to free hostages at Entebbe Airport in Uganda. “The warm embrace that we receive strengthens us but it cannot console us for the terrible loss. The pain rends our hearts, the grief chokes us and the longing will never go away.”