Cornerstone Ceremony for Memorial for Slain Munich Olympics Athletes

Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotevely on Tuesday evening 28 Cheshvan participated in a cornerstone ceremony for a memorial facility for the 11 Israeli athletes murdered in the Munich Olympics massacre in 1972.

Also taking part in the event was the Bavarian Education Minister and other Bavarian government officials.

Among her words Hotevely stated “The massacre of the Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics is a historic landmark after which the rules regarding the fight against terrorism have changed. The attack took place in the window of the world as the first Olympic Games to be broadcast on the screen around the world. Palestinian terrorism came to Munich where terrorists brutally murdered 11 athletes who are survived by their bereaved families, young widows and 14 orphans.

The massacre happened here is a seminal event for understanding global terrorism, such as the September 11 attacks in New York, and Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris.

“Dr. Yagil Henkin whose brother was murdered by Palestinian terrorists last month with his wife, an innocent trip with four children, said in his eulogy for his brother terrorism should not become a faceless force of nature. Don’t fight terror but fight those who perpetrate it.

“Terminology such as ‘terrorist stone attacks, “isolated attack”, “stabbing attack” are distorting the reality, terrorism is a tool, and who uses it is an enemy, which we must fight.

“We must fight all-out war against ISIS, Al Qaeda, Hamas and Hizbullah that all their support infrastructure, hatred, and calling for the murder of innocent people.

Only an uncompromising struggle of the constant updating of the ethics of war with the challenges of terrorism will allow us to win the free radical elements that threaten human freedom and the right to life.

“We are witnessing a shameful phenomenon which Palestinian leaders are cynically using the Holocaust, but now we see cynical use of the Holocaust on the Memorial Day for Kristallnacht which was an attempt to turn the tables and accused the victim of assault”.

At the end of her speech, Deputy Minister Hotevely read the names of the 11 athletes who were murdered.

Ahead of her trip, Hotevely met with representatives of the families of the victims, Anke Spitzer and Ilana Romano, along with Esther Roth-Shahamorov.