Politicians flock to Majdal Shams, angering some residents
Following the tragic rocket attack in Majdal Shams, Israeli officials visit the town, calling for strong action while facing local residents' frustrations.
Over a dozen ministers and Knesset members visited the northern Druze town of Majdal Shams on Saturday and Sunday, after the deadly rocket attack that left at least 11 children dead and dozens wounded.
Ministers who visited included Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (Likud), Economy Minister Nir Barkat (Likud), Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman (Likud), Development of the Negev and Galilee and National Resilience Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf (Otzma Yehudit), Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer.
Members of the Knesset who visited included opposition leader MK Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid), along with four Yesh Atid MKs and National Unity chairman MK Benny Gantz.
Some MKs gave statements at the site of the explosion.
“The children who died in this soccer field could have been the children of any one of us,” Lapid said. “It is the state’s job to keep children safe. Children should not die in wars between adults.”
Lapid added, “The state failed and the government failed. The response will be severe and will reverberate across the Middle East.”
Barkat said that he expected a “change of reality” from the government in the form of a shift from a “policy of containment” to a “painful attack” against the state of Lebanon, which “enables Hezbollah’s attacks from its territory.”
Locals upset with MKs
Some residents were unhappy with the visits and voiced criticism against Barkat, Silman, and Smotrich. One resident accused Barkat and Silman of “abandoning” the North and only coming to visit after an attack had already occurred.
"תעוף מפה, רצחו את הילדים שלנו": קריאות נגד סמוטריץ' במג'דל שמס@einavkerner(צילום: ענבר בזק) pic.twitter.com/gA2pToPZ5y
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Ynet reported on Sunday that the chairman of the Druze authorities’ forum, Jaber Jadvan, had sent a letter to the MKs asking them not to attend the funerals of the children who were killed. According to the report, Jadvan wrote, “Because of the sensitivity of the situation, we ask you not to turn the massacre into a political event. We are requesting a quiet religious funeral according to Druze custom.”
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