‘Second time my son's wedding cancelled': Netanyahu says his family not exempt from ‘personal costs' amid Israel-Iran conflict
Amid the ongoing Israel-Iran tensions, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu provided the example of his son's postponed wedding in an attempt to drive home the point of 'personal costs' during conflict situations, and highlight that even his family 'has not been exempt'.
Speaking from outside Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba — struck earlier by an Iranian missile — Netanyahu on Thursday said the ongoing war was affecting every Israeli family, including his own.
'It really reminds me of the British people during the blitz. We are going through a blitz,' Netanyahu said, referring to the current conflict in context to the World War II bombing of Britain which claimed the lives of over 40,000 civilians. 'There are people who were killed, families who grieved loved ones, I really appreciate that,' he added.
'Each of us bears a personal cost, and my family has not been exempt,' he continued. 'This is the second time that my son Avner has cancelled a wedding due to missile threats. It is a personal cost for his fiancée as well, and I must say that my dear wife is a hero, and she bears a personal cost.'
Avner Netanyahu's wedding was first scheduled for November but was postponed due to security reasons.
It had been rescheduled for this Monday, despite ongoing tensions and threats of protests. According to The Guardian, reports that Netanyahu planned to take a short leave from official duties for the ceremony may have contributed to a false sense of calm in Tehran ahead of Israel's aerial strike.
The prime minister's remarks, intended to show solidarity with Israeli citizens, instead drew sharp criticism from the public and the political spectrum. Anat Angrest, whose son Matan has been held hostage in Gaza since the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023, responded: 'I have been in the hellish dungeons of Gaza for 622 days now,' she wrote on social media, adding that the Netanyahu family's suffering 'didn't go unnoticed by my family either.'
Gilad Kariv, a Knesset member with the Democrats, called Netanyahu a 'borderless narcissist.' He also challenged Netanyahu's praise of his wife Sara as a 'hero,' stating, 'The doctors who leave home for night shifts are the heroes. The teachers who keep our children together on Zoom and phone calls are the heroes.'
As the two sides continue to trade strikes for the seventh straight day, Netanyahu said he trusted that Trump would 'do what's best for America'.
'I can tell you that they're already helping a lot,' he said. This comes as a new diplomatic initiative appeared to be underway as Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi prepared to travel Friday to Geneva for meetings with the European Union's top diplomat and counterparts from the United Kingdom, France and Germany.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump said he will decide within two weeks whether the US military will get directly involved in the conflict between the two longstanding foes, given the 'substantial chance' for renewed talks with Iran over its nuclear programme.
So far, at least 639 people — including 263 civilians — have been killed in Iran, with more than 1,300 injured, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group.
Israeli officials estimate that Iran has launched roughly 450 missiles and 1,000 drones. Most have been intercepted, but at least 24 Israelis have died and hundreds more have been injured, the military had said.
(With inputs from The Guardian)
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