“The country has been hijacked by a regime that views state resources as its own private property, and views its foundational values as an obstacle to the regime, to its cronies and to its survival. The torch-lighting ceremony, once the beating heart of the Israeli soul, has been transformed into a cynical showcase for a regime seeking to rewrite history. Rather than celebrate the people’s spirit of volunteering and bravery, the ceremony is used as a platform for aggrandizing a shameless government.

“This government is totally out of touch with its citizens. It has been acting as if this country were the personal property of Benjamin Netanyahu, his wife and Miri Regev (the fawning Minister of Transportation who organized the event. HS)  The ceremony seems wholly created for their own constituency. They brand anybody who thinks differently as an enemy. This is how gangs behave. In a desperate attempt to hang on to power at any cost, they are trampling over the values by which this country was founded: equality, liberty and justice…

“We call on the public at large to attend the alternative torch-lighting ceremony, which will take place at the Tel Aviv Museum plaza. Come light torches of truth, of equality and of a democratic Jewish state, in the spirit of the........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)