Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Wednesday made an unexpected announcement informing organizers of the annual memorial ceremony for the fallen fighters in the 1967 Six Day War, battle for Jerusalem, that he would not be attending because he was preoccupied with ongoing war.
Ynet and its sister publication Yedioth Ahronoth reported last week that the Prime Minister's Office intervened to prevent Shai Hermesh, an 80-year-old veteran of the battle for Jerusalem, a former Knesset member and a resident of Kibbutz Kfar Aza, from reciting the "Yizkor" prayer at the state ceremony. Hermesh's son, Omer, was killed in the October 7 massacre, and his home was destroyed by fire ignited by the terrorists during the atrocities.
The chairman of the site where the ceremony is to be held submitted Hermesh's name to Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuches in preparation for the event. The response from Fuches was quick and decisive. "Not a chance," he wrote adding a photo of an article published by Hermesh with a scathing rebuke of the prime minister. Later, and after the exchange was made public, the PMO retracted the objection.
"The ceremony is not under the responsibility of the Prime Minister's Office or the Cabinet Secretary but under the responsibility of the State Ceremonies and Events Department," Fuches said on Friday. After the report was published, I brought the matter to the attention of the Prime Minister and at his direction, I approached the Ceremonies Department with a request to allow Mr. Shai Hermesh to recite the 'Yizkor' prayer."
On Wednesday the PMO rejected allegations that Netanyahu's absence was connected to Hermesh's participation in the event, claiming that as he did not attend the Independence Day ceremonies, he will also be absent from the Jerusalem Day ceremony for the first time, as well.
Traditionally, a veteran fighter is chosen each year to recite the "Yizkor" prayer in memory of the fallen at the state ceremony. Hermesh, who, along with his wife, narrowly escaped the Hamas massacre, was selected this year by the organizers. He had represented the Gaza border communities, first as head of the regional council and later as a lawmaker for the Kadima Party.
Hermesh's article, published in the opinion column of Haaretz on May 22, was addressed to Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri. In the excerpt attached by Fuchs, Hermesh criticized Deri for remaining silent and indifferent in a government dominated by a group of messianics. He accused Deri of joining convicted ministers and an said that the prime minister was willing to sacrifice hostages for that agenda, leading Israel into becoming a homophobic, minority-persecuting, and internationally isolated state. Hermesh warned of the real possibility of the state's destruction.