At a special ceremony that was held in the Hall of Remembrance on Mt. Herzl on Sunday in memory of those who died during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, the bereaved families sat next to the incoming and outgoing Presidents of Israel as well as Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and former Prime Minister and Head of the Opposition Binyamin Netanyahu.

When Prime Minister Bennett approached the podium in order to speak to the gathered crowd, he was heckled by a bereaved father regarding his actions during Operation Protective Edge, stating that Bennett’s actions during Operation Guardian of the Waals, proved that his actions during Protective Edge were faulty.

“We learned from Operation Guardian of the Walls, that an operation could be done without sending ground forces into Gaza. Why did we have to learn this at the cost of the lives lost during Operation Protective Edge? You were among those who called upon the Prime Minister to send ground forces into Gaza.”

The Prime Minister was silent and did not respond. When the situation calmed down Prime Minister Bennett began his speech. He said that now that his term as Prime Minister has begun, the responsibility of returning the bodies of the fallen soldiers, as well as the prisoners currently in Gaza now falls on his shoulders and he will do everything in his power to bring them home.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)