Likud draws fire for campaign ad featuring soldiers’ graves

The Likud party has drawn fire from political opponents and commemoration groups for using the graves of fallen soldiers in a campaign ad warning against the “danger” of voting for the opposing Blue and White party.

Eli Ben Shem, head of Yad Labanim, Israel’s main commemoration organization for fallen soldiers, says the video “hurts bereaved families. Leave our children alone, leave IDF soldiers outside the political debate. If Israel has one last sacred cow left, we should protect it, and not trample it so callously and cynically. I don’t understand who could have come up with such a video.”

Blue and White, the party led by Gantz that was the target of the ad, says in a statement, “IDF soldiers who fell in battle and their grieving families did not imagine that the prime minister would use them in a political campaign video.”

Turning to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it says, “Go and apologize to the families immediately, or this stain will accompany you all your life. Netanyahu, shame on you.”

“Too far, bibi. Don’t bring your filth to the military cemeteries,” says Labor Party leader Avi Gabbay in a statement.

Amid a growing chorus of criticism, a statement from Netanyahu says he has instructed the Likud campaign to take down the video. The party calls the incident “an unfortunate error,” and says Netanyahu has asked to take steps to ensure “this doesn’t recur.”