Netanyahu's office and Yad LaBanim (an organization commemorating Israel's fallen soldiers) both claim that the meeting was decided upon two months ago, and therefore had nothing to do with the argument which erupted during the meeting.
However, the bereaved siblings told Yedioth Ahronoth that they were only invited to the meeting last Sunday, after the incident in the Knesset, for which Netanyahu later issued an apology.
Ayala Minker, who lost her brother Idan in a helicopter accident, said that she was called on Sunday to meet with Netanyahu. "I said I won't come because I won't be a toy in Bibi's hands," Minker said. "Bibi is using this as a political tool and I won't take part in this. He shouldn't be concerned with bereaved families, but rather to act to prevent new (bereaved) families. In my opinion, this is to do with the event in the Knesset and he wants to repair the damage."
D., another bereaved brother who asked to remain anonymous, also refused to attend the meeting. "As a supporter of Likud, I was ashamed of what I saw in the Knesset and Bibi's silence," he lamented.
Eli Ben-Sham, Director of Yad LaBanim who also lost a sibling in the IDF, reiterated the position that the meeting was conceived two months ago following an initiative sponsored by bereaved siblings as part of their demand to gain official recognition.
Nevertheless, he also acknowledged that while the idea had come about months ago, the day on which the invitations were sent out was indeed as recently as Sunday.
"I spoke with the prime minister on this and he agreed to meet with young bereaved siblings," said Ben-Sham. "We didn't know what type of format it would be. We agreed that we would finalize a date leading up to Memorial Day because of the Prime Minister's busy schedule. It is true that we asked the bereaved siblings only on Sunday. If there is a bereaved sister who does not want to attend, that is her right. We are not combining this with politics. Had the prime minister invited us because of what happened in the Knesset, I would not have come."
The Prime Minister's Office issued a short response, saying, "The event was indeed planned two months ago, and we regret it if anyone thinks differently."
Meanwhile, bereaved parents who lost children in Operation Protective Edge, issued a scathing statement to Netanyahu Tuesday, decrying his failure to intervene at the time of the spat.
"Your apologies for the behavior of your faction members were received five days after the hearing in a weak statement to the media. You should have responded immediately and on the spot. You should have stopped the insolent behavior of your party members, headed by the head of the coalition, from insulting parents of fallen soldiers in a military campaign that you headed. Unfortunately, your apology is too late and too little."