Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez has canceled his planned appearance at Israel's 70th Independence Day celebration next month, in the latest controversy dogging the troubled event.
Hernandez cited scheduling challenges as the reason for canceling, but the invitation to invite him in the first place had sparked yet another uproar in the contentious Independence Day plans.
Controversy over this year's Independence Day torch-lighting ceremony started after Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev, whose ministry oversees the event, announced that she was breaking with tradition and inviting President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak at the traditionally nonpolitical event.
Rivlin declined, and it is still unclear whether Netanyahu will speak or leave the floor to Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, who has threatened to spurn the event if any political figure speaks.
The decision to invite Hernandez – a graduate of Israel's Foreign Ministry leadership program – to participate in the ceremony also infuriated many in Israel in light of allegations that he has violated human rights in his country.
On Monday, Hernandez canceled his planned appearance, citing scheduling challenges.
"We regret that the president of Honduras will not be coming and welcome the friendship between the two nations [Israel and Honduras]," the Foreign Ministry said in response to Hernandez's decision.
Regev said, "The president of Honduras decided not to attend due to the slander by members of the opposition, led by [Meretz party head] Tamar Zandberg, and that's nasty. It shows that the opposition joined forces with anti-Israel BDS [boycott, divestment, and sanctions] organizations to snuff out the torch [that Hernandez was supposed to help light].
"The opposition does not understand the ramifications of their actions and how deeply this has harmed Israel's foreign relations."
Zandberg said in response, "The president of Honduras knows perfectly well why he is not coming, and he understands the controversy. But Regev is just doing what she does, without bothering to look around. The [culture] minister appears to have forgotten that this isn't the 70th anniversary celebration of Regev and Netanyahu, but rather the 70th anniversary of the State of Israel."
Meanwhile, Netanyahu, Regev and Edelstein have yet to schedule a meeting that would put an end to the dispute over the festivities.
Sources close to Edelstein said Monday that no agreement has been reached on the program, but for now it appears that Edelstein will give the keynote address and light one of the torches, while Netanyahu will also light a torch and may say a few words.
Amid the recriminations and scandals surrounding this year's event, Regev on Monday unveiled a special show honoring the 70 years of the state's existence that will be integrated into the torch-lighting ceremony on Mount Herzl.
"This year, for the first time, [the event] will include a breathtaking show, about half an hour long, that will tell the story of the Jewish people in their own country, from Mount Sinai through the startup nation," Regev said.
The show will feature some 1,600 performers accompanied by pyrotechnics and cutting-edge technology, as well as specially commissioned music.
