Israel holds toned down 76th Independence Day celebrations as Gaza war rages

Reuters via MSN ^ | 05/14/2024 | Maytaal Angel

[SeekAndFind]

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel began toned down Independence Day celebrations at sundown on Monday, with hopes for an end to the seven-month-old Gaza war dim, anti-government protests growing and internal divisions festering.

As the country marks its 76th year, firework displays were cancelled and the traditional torch-lighting ceremony at the Jerusalem national cemetery will be taped for TV audiences instead of livestreamed.

Opposition lawmakers blasted the move as an attempt at stifling protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has come under attack at live events from hecklers furious about his failure to bring home the 128 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.

Simon Davidson, from the centrist Yesh Atid party, posted a video on the social media platform X, accusing Netanyahu's Transport Minister Miri Regev - responsible for organising the torch-lighting ceremony - of bypassing Israel's parliament, the Knesset, and using the event for political objectives.

"They don't give a damn about the Israeli Knesset, and that means they don't give a damn about Israeli citizens," he said on the video.

"They are doing a staged ceremony filled with everything they want to introduce politically and present to the country. No audience, no live broadcast, no committee that cares about this ceremony."

The war began when the Gaza-based Palestinian militant group Hamas burst into border communities in southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostage, according to Israeli tallies.

Since then, a further 273 Israeli soldiers have died, mostly in an assault on Gaza that Palestinian medics say has killed more than 35,000 people.

"Although this is not a regular Independence Day, it is a special opportunity for us to realize the significance of our independence," Netanyahu said in comments pre-recorded for TV audiences.

[CatOwner]

I’m waiting for Biden to declare we must tone down July 4th celebrations because the holiday is racists and the celebrations are offensive to people of color and the illegals.

[Ronaldus Magnus III]

“”Gaza war rages””

If Israel were to truly ‘rage’ the Gaza war would be over in very short order. When Oct7 happened, I hoped Israel would scrape Gaza into the Mediterranean. Israel foolishly evacuated Gaza in 2005. Within a week the Gaza Islamofascistnazis were firing rockets into Israel. Hamas had one pseudo-election, and never looked back.

This is the war for civilization. Before Oct7, Israel was delivering, daily, tons of food, water, etc. The Hamas billionaires and millionaires could have used their ill-gotten gains to raise their people up. Some of the so-called ‘camps’ in Gaza were neighborhoods with apartment buildings. Much of the concrete and other building supplies that Israel delivered to Gaza was used to create the vast underground terror system. Hamas even dug up water pipes and constructed rockets to kill more Jews. While Israel would warn people to evacuate a building before destroying the building, Hamas would force people to remain in the building. Hamas uses hospitals and schools, inside and below, as their base of operations.

This is NOT a clash of civilizations.
It is the ongoing war to remain civilized.

[NWFree]

I had a few beers at the house and celebrated

[Delta 21]

They should have had celebratory gunfire. Given some real support to the troops.