Jacob Edery, dignified
Photo: Dudi Vaaknin
IDF soldiers in Second Lebanon War
Photo: Reuters
Memorial Day for Second Lebanon War declared
Annual memorial day for Second Lebanon War scheduled by Ministerial Committee for Symbols and Ceremonies; soldiers who fell in war merit a day to be remembered, says Minister Edery, committee chairman
In less than one month, Israel will mark the one-year anniversary of the Second Lebanon War.
The Ministerial Committee for Symbols and Ceremonies decided Sunday to hold an official ceremony to mark the occasion.
According to the resolution, a ceremony will be held annually on the 16th of the Hebrew month of Tamuz (around July). The Defense Ministry will be resposible for organizing the ceremony, along with Yad Labanim, an organization that commemorates Israel's fallen soldiers.
Chairman of the committee, Minister Jacob Edery, proposed the ceremony to commemorate the war the same way other wars are commemorated, and the proposal was accepted unanimously.
Edery said that recently, many family members of IDF soldiers who fell in the war appealed to him to hold a service in memory of their loved ones.
Moreover, he added, since each of Israel's wars has a memorial day, the Second Lebanon War should have one two: "I think it is dignified, and the fallen soldiers merit having an official statewide memorial day to commemorate the fight and those who fell."
Several months ago the war was officially named the Second Lebanon War, after months of disputes over the name. Many political figures objected to the name because of its political and public implications.
