After criticism, PM won’t speak at Independence Day torchlighting

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he won’t be speaking at the national torch-lighting ceremony on Independence Day Eve, which takes place this year on the evening of May 1.

According to the Hadashot television news network, formerly Channel 2, the cancellation of Netanyahu’s planned address comes after widespread criticism over his intention to speak at the Mount Herzl ceremony, which is broadcast live on national television and marks the official start of Independence Day celebrations nationwide.

The ceremony is traditionally an apolitical one overseen by the speaker of the Knesset. Prime ministers have not traditionally been invited to speak during the event.

According to the report, the cancellation was explained by the Prime Minister’s Office as an attempt to avoid imposing the kind of prohibitive security expenses on the ceremony’s budget that the premier’s speech would entail.