Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has given a politically charged address – including a jab at Palestine – at the official centenary commemoration of the Battle of Beersheba attended by Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten.
Tuesday marked 100 years since Australians of the Light Horse Brigade galloped into live fire to take the Middle Eastern town of Be’er Sheva from the Turks, in what is widely considered the last great cavalry charge in military history.
A packed Australian delegation, including the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader, sat in the front row to hear Mr Netanyahu praise the efforts of Australian and New Zealand soldiers at the battle, then go on to promote his own national security credentials.
“We saw here in Be’er Sheva 800 cavalry go against 4000 embedded Turks with machine guns, with bunkers. The few won against the many. That’s the spirit of the army of Israel. It stands today,” he told the 2000-strong crowd of dignitaries, direct descendants and members of the public at Beersheba War Cemetery.
“We set out a simple policy. We seek peace with all our neighbours but we will not tolerate any attacks on our sovereignty, on our people, on our land, whether from the air, from the sea, from the ground or below the ground.”
Read the full article by Jackson Stiles at The New Daily.