JERUSALEM: Sirens wailed across Israel and the nation came to a standstill in a solemn two-minute ritual Wednesday as the country marked its annual Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of Palestinian suicide bombings and other attacks.

While the sirens rung out, pedestrians stood at attention, traffic came to a standstill as motorists stepped out of their cars and radio and TV programming was halted.

Memorial Day is one of the most somber and emotional days on the Israeli calendar. Nearly every Israeli family has been touched by decades of conflict, either losing a relative or knowing someone else who has had a loved one die in battle.

Throughout the day, people attended ceremonies at military cemeteries, radio and television stations played somber music and devoted programs to retelling the stories of soldiers killed in battle, and places of entertainment, such as movie theaters and restaurants, were closed. Schools held solemn memorial services and the Israeli flag flew at half-staff.

"This special day wipes away our divisions. The feeling of unity and shared destiny is stronger than ever," Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in the central ceremony at Mount Herzl, the country's national military cemetery. "Memorial Day is a sad day, but free of any disagreements and very Israeli."

The nation's top leaders, including President Shimon Peres and military chief Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, were among those in attendance.

While the somber mood is respected nearly universally among Jewish Israelis, some ultra-Orthodox Jews who oppose the Jewish state on religious grounds and Palestinian pedestrians continued about their business during the sirens in Jerusalem.

The melancholy observances came hours before the country was set to kick off celebrations marking its 60th anniversary of independence. The jarring contrast between Memorial Day and Independence Day underlines the link Israelis feel between their military and the existence of their state.

Since 1860, the year Jews first began settling in neighborhoods outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, 22,437 have been killed in wars and attacks, according to the Defense Ministry.

Israel has fought in a half dozen wars since it was established in 1948, and battled two deadly Palestinian uprisings that included dozens of suicide bombings in its cities and towns.

Speaking at another ceremony, Olmert recalled witnessing "horrific images" at bombings in Jerusalem.

"I cannot help but think of how deep the moral gap is between us and our enemies," he said. "We make every possible effort to limit and focus our attacks on the terrorists and we never intentionally harm the innocent ... We don't have mothers who joyfully send their children to blow themselves up in packed buses or in busy malls."

In the past year, 132 soldiers and civilians were killed, among them soldiers killed in battle with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

During its six decades, Israel has fought many wars, starting in 1948, when Arab nations refused to recognize its creation. Israel took part in a French-British war against Egypt in 1956, fought its neighbors in 1967 and again in 1973, invaded Lebanon in 1982 and again in 2006, and battled Palestinian uprisings from 1987-93 and another one that began in 2000.

This Memorial Day still bears fresh memories of the 2006 summer war with Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon, which badly rattled the country and left 119 soldiers dead, along with 40 civilians killed in rocket fire on northern Israel.

Staff Sgt. Oz Tzemah was one of the last soldiers to fall, when a Hezbollah anti-tank missile killed him and his crew on Aug. 12, 2006, during the war's final 48 hours. He was posthumously honored with a medal for his bravery in saving his fellow crewmen before being struck down.

His father Haim said Memorial Day primarily served the country and its average citizens, rather than the bereaved families themselves.

"We don't need it to remember. We remember him every minute, every hour, every day, all the time," he said. "My interpretation is that it is a national day in which the society in Israel does its soul searching and looks back and sees the price we paid to get here. And we paid a very, very, very heavy price, the heaviest you can pay."

Copyright © 2008 The International Herald Tribune