Israeli Minister of Transport and Road Safety Miri Regev announced the cancellation of the traditional Independence Day torch-lighting ceremony at Mount Herzl, which was scheduled to take place Wednesday evening, due to a wildfire in the Jerusalem area. Instead, the dress rehearsal that took place earlier this week will be broadcast.
"After assessing the situation with the relevant professionals, unfortunately, the weather forecast predicted for Mount Herzl during the ceremony does not allow for it to be held tonight," Regev announced.
"The engineers responsible for safety clarified that we're dealing with extreme winds with potential for severe damage that could lead to significant safety hazards and risk to human life," she added. "This poses a risk to both the audience and participants. I have unequivocally decided not to take any risks. The torch-lighting ceremony will be broadcast tonight, but not live. Instead, we'll show the preliminary performance that took place on the mountain two days ago."
As a result, the ceremony will be broadcast with minimal audience attendance. Former hostage Eli Sharabi will not appear in the ceremony since he was abroad during the rehearsal and therefore will not light a torch as originally planned.
