Several ministers and members of Israel's parliament have cancelled their participation in Memorial Day ceremonies, a day of remembrance for fallen Israeli soldiers, due to protests from some bereaved families.
Housing and Construction Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf and Deputy Culture and Sports Minister Yaakov Tessler, from the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party, were the first to cancel their participation in the ceremonies.
Later, Education Minister Haim Biton, of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, also announced that he was cancelling his participation in the ceremony, which he had been scheduled to attend in the city of Rehovot.
Also, Minister of National Diplomacy Galit Distel-Atbarian, from the Likud party, announced that she was withdrawing from the ceremony in which she was to participate.
The announcements came after bereaved families have asked politicians to refrain from attending the ceremonies at the cemeteries, where tight security measures will be imposed.
Memorial Day will commence on Monday evening when a one-minute siren will blare across the country. On Tuesday morning, a two-minute siren will sound ahead of national memorial ceremonies at Israel’s 52 military cemeteries.
In a statement, Goldknopf said he “really wanted to come and honor the memory of the fallen. However, I was informed that alongside the bereaved families who asked for my arrival as a representative of the government, there are also bereaved families for whom my presence might cause discomfort.”
Also, Distel Atbaryan said that “in front of bereaved families, I absolutely bow my head… I won’t come to the ceremony.”
Meanwhile, Zvika Fogel of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, said he would attend a Memorial Day event at the Rosh Pina Military Cemetery but would not give a speech.
“The honor of the fallen and of the bereaved families is more important than my honor,” Fogel said.
But National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir reiterated Sunday that he will not heed the calls for him to skip a ceremony at the Beersheba Military Cemetery on Tuesday.
“I love the bereaved families. I will give a statesmanlike speech and embrace all the families, including those who do not love me,” Ben Gvir was quoted as saying by Ynet.
Israeli fear protests and even violence across the military cemeteries during Memorial Day.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, opposition leader Yair Lapid, Yoav Gallant and National Union leader Benny Gantz issued a statement calling on all Israelis to “leave the controversy of this Memorial Day outside the military cemeteries.”
