Gallant rejects request to hold Israeli-Palestinian ceremony on Memorial Day

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says he has rejected a request to hold a joint Israeli-Palestinian memorial ceremony on the eve of Memorial Day on April 24.

In a statement, Gallant’s office says he explained his decision by saying the Palestinian participants cannot be allowed to cross from the West Bank “due to the complex security reality,” and since a general closure will be imposed on the territory on that day.

The ceremony has been held for years, despite widespread criticism among the Israeli right that it equates Israeli terror victims with Palestinian attackers.

The Combatants for Peace group, which organizes the ceremony, reacts by saying Gallant has been “spooked” by his firing by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — which has since been reversed — and is “toeing the line of fascist madness and silencing.”