Regev said to direct cameras to cut away from protest signs at torch-lighting event
Transportation minister, who is coordinating 75th Independence Day gala, reportedly also suggested TV networks cut to recording of rehearsal if incidents occur during ceremony
Transportation Minister Miri Regev has reportedly ordered organizers of Tuesday evening’s official state Independence Day torch-lighting ceremony to cut away from any frame that includes anti-government protest messages on banners or shirts.
According to the Channel 12 report, the state broadcaster of the gala 75th Independence Day event has been directed by Regev to cut to a different frame if participants or audience members make any anti-judicial overhaul display.
The Mount Herzl ceremony, in which 12 torches are lit to symbolize the 12 tribes of Israel, marks the transition from Memorial Day to Independence Day, commemorating the country’s founding in 1948, and is broadcast live on national television.
Regev, in addition to her role as transportation minister, is also charged with organizing Israel’s 75th Independence Day national ceremony.
Earlier reports claimed that Regev had also floated the idea of cutting to a recording of the ceremony’s rehearsal in the case of a protest during the event on Tuesday evening.
The event’s 2,000 attendees will be required to show ID to security guards on arrival at Jerusalem’s Mount Herzl, though security personnel have not been given permission to confiscate any personal belongings that may be used to stage a protest during the event.
Channel 12 noted that there are no known plans from protest groups to disrupt the ceremony.
Event organizers are reportedly planning to transport the torches to the Mount Herzl site early in the morning due to fears that protests throughout the day could lead to heavy traffic.
Aside from the potential for protest, Independence Day is preceded by Memorial Day, where bereaved families traditionally attend the graves of their loved ones, likely leading to even more congestion in the area.
