Friends,
They’re some of the bravest Israelis and Palestinians I’ve ever met, and that makes them a target for the far-right.
They are the bereaved family members of Israelis and Palestinians killed by violence, terror and conflict. Every year, their group -- Parents Circle – Families Forum -- organizes one of the largest and most profound Memorial Day ceremonies in Israel, broadcast around the world. J Street is a co-sponsor, as we have been many times in the past.
I’m a former IDF Officer myself, and the joint ceremony is one of the most moving events I’ve ever experienced. Thousands join to share anguish, mourn our losses, and lay the foundation for a future of respect, dignity and equality for all.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not theoretical for us. We remember lost children, siblings, parents and friends. We commit to doing all we can to end a deadly cycle that has stolen far too many loved ones far too soon.
But for the Israeli far-right -- driven by an eye-for-an-eye worldview -- such solidarity, equality and respect is an intolerable abomination. Extremists yell abuse over the fence, calling participants “traitors” and “kapos” and intimidating them at the gates.
Now -- ahead of Monday’s ceremony -- the Netanyahu government has issued a blanket ban denying entry permits to Palestinian families seeking to enter Israel to join the event. They claim it’s due to security, yet the Supreme Court has twice overturned previous attempts by Netanyahu to enforce a similar ban.
Friends -- Will you support the ceremony by adding your name to our petition?
It’s difficult to fathom what might drive political leaders to inflict such cynical cruelty on Palestinian and Israeli families who have already suffered so much. Families who seek to honor those they have lost to a cycle of violence and injustice by committing themselves to ending it.
In a Supreme Court ruling from 2019 -- which the Israeli government now seems determined to ignore -- Justices held that the ban on Palestinian attendance by Netanyahu (then both Prime Minister and Defense Minister) was “unreasonable” and “disproportionate.”
“Here lies the core of freedom of expression, of personal autonomy, which gives every person the opportunity to write and shape his life story in his own way,” Justice Yitzhak Amit wrote.
“In the life story of every bereaved family there is sorrow, pain and longing. The Minister of Defense must not interfere in the way in which a family wishes to express its own bereavement and sorrow for the untimely passing of a loved one,” his decision read.
While not everyone might choose to attend a joint memorial service, I strongly believe that such acts of solidarity, empathy and peace-building should be encouraged, not deterred. For me, there is no more profound expression of our Jewish values and our belief that a better future for both Israelis and Palestinians is possible.
If you agree, please join me and add your name to our petition. Read, sign and share the petition here >>
Thank you, sincerely, for your support.
Nadav Tamir
Executive Director, J Street Israel
