A controversial Israel-Palestinian ceremony at the start of Memorial Day for Israel's Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism took place on Tuesday with several left-wing MKs in attendance despite their parties being part of the government.
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The ceremony, which is aimed at bringing together families of Israelis who died in war or from terrorism with families of dead terrorists, draws criticism every year for implicitly drawing a moral equivalence between the two types of deaths. Organizers say it is not honoring the perpetrators of attacks but just promoting coexistence between the two nations through joint bereavement of relatives.
Labor MK Ibtisam Mara'ana took part in the ceremony together with Meretz MKs Mossi Raz, Michal Rozin, and Gaby Lasky. All four MKs' parties are part of the government, which has not endorsed this ceremony. Ofer Cassif, who represents the communist Arab-Israeli party Hadash which is not in the government, also took part in the event as did former Meretz leader Zehava Galon.
Earlier this week, when Israel Hayom broke the story that Mara'ana was expected to take part in the event, the Labor MK said that she "has great respect for Memorial Day and to the bereaved families, and I feel their immense pain." She added, "I believe that the way to avoid future wars and deaths passes through the acknowledgment of others' pain."
Raz echoed her comments, saying that "I have been partaking in this ceremony since 2006 and I will not buckle under the pressure of those who attack bereaved families for their way of expressing their sorrow."
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