Preparations are in full swing for the wedding of Avner Netanyahu, son of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Amit Yardeni, set to take place on Monday.
Security work around the Ronit Farm event venue near Kibbutz Yakum in central Israel is already well underway, with iron fences and barbed wire encircling large sections of the venue over a radius of several hundred meters.
On Thursday, a security guard was stationed on the access road to the venue, blocking entry for both unauthorized individuals and members of the press. The guard said he was employed by the venue and would not allow vehicles to proceed further.
The entrance to the venue is located along Route 551. Near the main junction, large stacks of fencing and metal barricades could be seen. From the road, it was evident that the barriers stretched for hundreds of meters and had been topped with barbed wire. The security perimeter now encloses orchards and agricultural land surrounding the garden. Dozens of workers were spotted installing barriers throughout the area.
At this stage, it's unclear which roads will be closed for the event, but speculation is mounting that Route 551 — which connects Route 4 in the east to Route 2 in the west — may be shut down, either in part or in full. It also remains uncertain whether access to Kibbutz Yakum will be restricted, with entry permitted only for residents.
One local resident, watching the preparations, questioned the cost of the extensive security setup: “We’re still in the dark about potential road closures. Since access to the venue is via Route 551, we assume it will be closed. I see all the workers setting up fences and the amount of equipment being brought in — and I can’t help but wonder: who’s paying for all this?”
To the east of the venue, train tracks run parallel to a section of Route 551, with heavy rail traffic in both directions. So far, no fencing has been installed to prevent people from walking toward the garden, and it remains unclear whether the area around the tracks will also be closed off on the wedding day, similar to the planned closure of the airspace above.
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Another resident of the kibbutz expressed his frustration: “Honestly, we feel helpless. We don’t know what’s happening or what restrictions we’re about to face. We’ll just wait for Monday and see. Hopefully it’ll be behind us soon, and we can get back to normal.”
Over the past two weeks, it was reported that several protest groups are planning demonstrations in the area on the day of the wedding. In addition, it has been confirmed that the airspace above the venue will be closed for the event. Avner also requested that politicians not be invited to the private celebration, which will host several hundred guests.