Israel - Supreme Court: New memorial won't include terror victims
The Supreme Court ruled that the new memorial for
fallen IDF soldiers at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl will not include the names of
victims of terrorism.
The Organization of Casualties of Terror Acts in Israel
appealed to the Supreme Court against the Ministry of Defense and Yad Lebanim,
arguing that the new memorial is an official state site, and that it should
therefore not discriminate because of the circumstances of the death. The
Organization of Casualties of Terror Acts cited Yad Lebanim as an example,
saying that, just as the state establishment does not distinguish between
Holocaust victims, there should be no difference between the Israel's fallen.
The Ministry of Defense and Yad Lebanim countered that
the dead in Israel's wars and the victims of terrorism should be commemorated
differently, in order to preserve the uniqueness and symbolism of commemorating
fallen IDF soldiers.
The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal by the
Organization of Casualties of Terror Acts, ruling that the commemoration of
victims of terrorism will be separate. The decision will not only affect the
Mount Herzl memorial, but also the character of memorials in general, whether
they are memorials of incidents or recognition by the state.
In January 2013, there was a similar argument over the
victims of the Carmel fire, in which Yad Lebanim and the Organization of
Casualties of Terror Acts allied against the government's plan to commemorate
the three firemen killed in the blaze alongside victims of terrorism, calling
the firemen "Israel's Fallen in Civil Action".
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