Jerusalem, Undefined– Israelis came to a standstill Monday for Memorial Day, ahead of the country’s 75th anniversary which comes during deep political and social divisions over judicial reforms pushed by the government.
At 8:00 pm local time (1700 GMT), sirens rang out across the country to mark the traditional minute of silence in tribute to the fallen soldiers and victims of terrorist attacks.
“This year, in the grips of these days of discord, this sound (of the sirens) is more powerful, more searing, more pained and more painful than ever,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog said at a ceremony in Jerusalem.
“All of us, from all shades of this nation, must find what connects and unites us. And not only in our cemeteries,” he said.
Since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government took office in late December the country has seen weekly mass protests — including Saturday when tens of thousands took to the streets of Tel Aviv — over a judicial reform programme that critics view as an attack on democracy.
The proposals would curtail the authority of the Supreme Court and give politicians greater powers over the selection of judges.
Netanyahu’s government, a coalition between his Likud party and extreme-right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish allies, argues the changes are needed to rebalance powers between lawmakers and the judiciary.
Like Jewish religious holidays, Israelis commemorate Memorial Day from sunset and into the following day, with several events planned at the country’s 52 military cemeteries.
The families of a number of the soldiers killed in combat have requested that cabinet members refrain from speaking at the events to avoid unrest.
While several cabinet members have bowed out, far-right Public Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir remained steadfast, saying he would give his speech at Beersheba, at the risk of interruption by protesters.
In a video released by his office, Netanyahu called on “all elected officials, from the right and the left, to put aside their differences and leave them out of the cemeteries so that families can mourn in silence in memory of their loved ones”.
Memorial Day comes ahead of Independence Day on Tuesday evening during which Israelis celebrate the creation of their state in accordance with the Jewish calendar.
Palestinians remember the creation of Israel on May 15, 1948 as the “Nakba” or catastrophe, marking the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes.
