No thanks, Miri Regev: Israelis don’t want to bring back military parades
Last year, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed interest in renewing the tradition, saying that he found the parades to be very exciting as a child.
By LAHAV HARKOVUpdated: AUGUST 24, 2017 00:49A military parade takes to the streets on Independence Day, 1950(photo credit: THE JERUSALEM POST/HIRSHBAIN)
Israelis do not like Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev’s proposal to revive military parades in honor of Israel’s 70th Independence Day, an informal poll conducted by the Council for the Advancement of Israeli Heritage found.In the early years of the state, an IDF parade was held every year on Independence Day, but it was canceled after the 1973 Yom Kippur War and never renewed.Last year, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed interest in renewing the tradition, saying that he found the parades to be very exciting as a child.However, a Facebook post by the council, which keeps archives of Israeli historical and nostalgia items and is active in calling to preserve historic sites and artifacts, indicated that many feel otherwise.The Council for the Advancement of Israeli Heritage asked on its Facebook page, called “Nostalgia Online” in Hebrew, whether Israelis are for or against holding a military parade for Independence Day, and found that 65.6% were opposed and 34.4% were in favor. The question on Facebook received 420 responses; asking a question on Facebook is not as accurate as a poll by a research company, in that the respondents don’t make up a representative sample of Israelis.Those who were opposed left comments such as “We are not North Korea,” and wondering if the NIS 100 million budget for next April’s celebrations, which was finalized earlier this month, could not be used for citizens’ welfare instead.Another person said: “Our way is not displays of force... Our army is not our purpose; rather, it is a way of defending ourselves from our enemies when we have no choice.”People who were in favor of the parade generally said it was good for national pride.“Our army is made up of our sons and daughters. Why shouldn’t we be proud of them?” one wrote.Meanwhile, Army Radio host Tali Lipkin- Shahak has begun a campaign against Regev’s plan, interviewing a different person each day with ideas of what he or she thinks are better ways to spend the money going toward the parade.de.