Lapid Skips State Ceremony, Citing Lack of Accountability

Israel held state ceremonies on Monday to commemorate the three-year anniversary of the October 7th massacre. Among the senior officials present at the ceremony, which began at 11:00 AM at the Great Leaders' Plot on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, were Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, Supreme Court President Isaac Amit, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, Shin Bet head David Zini, and Mossad head Roman Gofman.

Notably absent from the state ceremony was Yair Lapid, chairman of the Yesh Atid party and Leader of the Opposition. According to journalist Michael Shemesh, Benny Gantz and Pnina Tamano-Shata were in attendance. Lapid's office released a statement explaining his absence, stating, "He does not go to ceremonies with those who refused to take responsibility, blamed IDF commanders, and refused to establish a state commission of inquiry. He will go to the families' ceremony."

During the ceremony, Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed the attendees, declaring that the operation in Gaza is not yet complete. "We still have missions ahead of us. There will be no Hamas rule in Gaza. Anyone who held our hostages is living on borrowed time. Day by day, we settle accounts with these despicable murderers. In Lebanon, we will continue to strike Hezbollah and create a chance for peace. Regarding Iran, we will not allow the regime of terror in Tehran to threaten our existence."

President Isaac Herzog, in his speech, called for an investigation into the circumstances that led to the October 7th massacre. He asserted, "No distance in time allows us to blur this wound. There are clear conclusions that we already know we must internalize, we must not ignore warnings, or worrying signs. We must also look directly at what is happening within our home, internally."