Bereaved families lash out at PM during Protective Edge memorial
During the two-year memorial for Operation Protective Edge, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was repeatedly interrupted by parents of the deceased; 'Netanyahu's trying to paint a rosy picture,' said the mother of fallen soldier Li Mat; earlier this week, the families sent Netanyahu a letter demanding an investigation.
While speaking at the official state's two-year memorial ceremony at Mount Herzl for those killed during Operation Protective Edge on Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of a kinship between himself and the bereaved families of the fallen soldiers. The sentiment, however, did not go over well, as the parents of those who died during the operation interrupted his speech and demanded an independent investigation into the events that took place during those 50 days of battle.
Family members whose loved ones fell during Protective Edge booed Netanyahu, causing him to pause after saying that he, too, comes from a bereaved family. "We don't believe you," shouted Yoram, whose son Capt. Omri Tal fell during the operation. "My son died for democracy, not for this kind of government." Netanyahu responded by saying, "As a bereaved brother, I understand your pain."
Another heckler was Motti, whose son Sgt. Li Mat also fell during the operation. He said that "The families demand that the prime minister follow the example of former prime ministers, who had responded to public pressure by agreeing to an investigative committee, thereby appointing one for Operation Protective Edge." Li's mother, Smadar, also called for such a committee, saying that "The prime minister is trying to paint a rosy picture, saying that it had all gone off wonderfully. If that's the case, what's the problem with setting up a committee?"
Calling family members his "brothers and sisters in mourning," Netanyahu promised that his door will always be open to them. "The settlements surrounding Gaza are flourishing because of your boys. Children are able to play outside because of your boys, and farmers are able to plow their fields thanks to the soldiers and commanders who were called to arms and stood on the front line."
Netanyahu detailed the goals achieved during the operation. "Hamas' plan for an aerial, naval and ground forces attack was foiled. The operation led to unprecedented cooperation with other organizations that similarly recognize Hamas as a common enemy." He assured those in attendance that ultimately, "Hamas had achieved nothing, and peace was returned to the South."
Netanyahu also referred to fallen soldiers Lt. Hadar Goldin and Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul, whose bodies are still held by Hamas. He promised that their return home "is an ongoing mission for me and one that we will achieve, even if it takes a long time."
President Reuven Rivlin echoed Netanyahu's sentiments, saying that the returning Shaul and Goldin's bodies must be "a part of any negotiation" and citing their return as "part of our moral debt to our soldiers."
The Goldin family, meanwhile, joined the cries against the prime minister. "He who does not know how to bring soldiers back will have no moral grounds to send soldiers to the battlefield in the future," the family said. "Operation Protective Edge hasn't ended as long as there are two IDF captives still in Gaza."
"There is a lot that can be done to bring back Hadar and Oron (Shaul, whose body was also captured by Hamas). The prime minister and defense minister should also say what can be done, not just what can't," the family added.
"Our fighters in the IDF know that when the fighting ends, the commander returns to base with his living soldiers, who are carrying the wounded and dead on their shoulders. We do not leave anyone behind."
Two days prior to the ceremony, several bereaved parents whose sons fell during Protective Edge had sent Netanyahu a letter demanding that a committee be set up to investigate the operation, in which 67 soldiers and five civilians were killed, hundreds were injured and the entire country came under the threat of missile attacks.
In the letter, the parents referred to a recent decision to reconvene the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and to publish its report on the operation that was previously unreleased to the public. "It is inappropriate to reconvene a committee that had already looked into the operation and still decided not to publish its report," their letter stated. "It is your job to set up an independent committee that will investigate the events and those in charge, including the decision making process. We further believe that such an investigation should be transparent and satisfy our need to know what happened."
Responding to the possible criticism that might be aimed at him in the soon-to-be released state comptroller's report on the operation, Netanyahu stated that "Protective Edge is not the Second Lebanon War. The accusation that we didn’t prepare and didn’t know about the tunnels is not true." He added that in the year and a half that preceded the operation, he had conducted eight security meetings, in which he also discussed Hamas' tunnel system threats and demanded that the IDF better prepare for them.
