Defense Min.: 'We need to be able to defend ourselves'

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (Likud) on Tuesday said that alongside the bereaved families who requested that MKs not attend memorial ceremonies at military cemeteries, there are also bereaved families who request that government officials attend the ceremonies.

Speaking to Kan Reshet Bet, Gallant said, "I do not criticize any family. Alongside those who say, 'do not come,' there are those who say, 'We insist that you come.'"

Regarding the security situation, he said, "If we are destined to live by the sword, then it should be held in our hand, not laid on our neck. We need to be able to defend ourselves."

"When I was 15, after the Yom Kippur War, my father told me, 'The dead cannot speak, and we need to respect them.'

"We are able to protect ourselves, and [I] believe that we will reach many agreements with our neighbors and be able to live here, a life of prosperity and peace."