Remembrance Day: Miriam Peretz encourages politicians not to speak

MKs should respect the wishes of bereaved families on Remembrance Day, said Miriam Peretz, who lost two sons during their military service in an interview with Reshet Bet.

In the interview, Peretz weighed in on the debate of whether politicians should attend memorial ceremonies at military cemeteries after bereaved families told them not to come because of the civil crisis in Israel surrounding the judicial reform.

Peretz said that the bereaved families are "searching for some kind of mental peace in an abnormal emotional storm" on Remembrance Day. "Now we add the whole difficult atmosphere in the country. I don't remember there ever being anything like this."

She also expressed her frustration that instead of focusing on the families who lost loved ones, the country is currently focusing on who is and isn't going to the memorial ceremonies.

"It really hurts me when I hear bereaved families debating about whether they should go to Mount Herzl (Israel's main military cemetery)," she said. "Sometimes you need to show restraint. At this moment, in this tension, you need human sensitivity, both from the families and the politicians. In a place where people are saying 'don't come', 'don't be here', 'it's difficult for us', so one day you'll restrain and not speak, what will happen?"

Peretz also discussed MKs who didn't serve in the IDF, saying that they would have to make their own considerations but encouraged them not to speak.

"We will make it through Remembrance Day peacefully if we exhibit restraint, patience and human sensitivity," she repeated, adding that "the world won't end if someone doesn't speak because you cannot stand in front of a bereaved parent."

She did, however, warn people to be careful and not to let this become a trend where people are barred from speaking at events because other people don't agree with their views.

Peretz's oldest son Uriel was killed in Lebanon in 1998 at the age of 22. Her second son Eliraz was killed in Lebanon exactly a month later at the age of 20.

Gallant says politicians will attend ceremonies

Last week, Defense Minister Gallant said that politicians would attend the ceremonies despite the families' requests that they stay away but told his fellow government members to refrain from making political statements.

Otzma Yehudit MK Zvika Fogel announced on Sunday that he would not go to a military cemetery on Tuesday, saying that "the respect of the fallen and the bereaved families is more important than my respect." 

He added that he was worried protestors would offend the bereaved families if he attended any ceremonies.