More than 6,000 Israelis have joined a growing campaign calling on the country’s major television networks to refrain from broadcasting the official state torch-lighting ceremony on Independence Day, and instead to air a civilian alternative event in Tel Aviv.
The initiative, directed at executives at Kan 11, Channel 12, and Channel 13, was launched by Yotam Kipnis, a resident of Kibbutz Be’eri who lost both his parents and several relatives in the October 7 attacks. Kipnis is set to take part in an alternative torch-lighting ceremony at Hostages Square and has called on broadcasters to give that event national airtime.
Campaign organizers argue that the official ceremony is being used to “reshape the narrative” of the war and deflect responsibility, pointing in particular to the selection of Gal Hirsch, the coordinator for hostages and missing persons, as a torch lighter. Hirsch has been criticized by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum for attempting to silence criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and not demanding the return of the hostages as a “supreme goal” at the time.
The decision to let him light a torch at the state Independence Day ceremony at Mount Herzl has also faced backlash, as he is currently on trial for tax offenses dating back years.
Organizers accuse government of projecting a “false image of victory”
“The October 7 government is attempting to rewrite history, project a false image of victory, and erase its responsibility – with the selection of Gal Hirsch as a torch lighter serving as the clearest symbol of this effort,” organizers said in a statement.
Kipnis noted that, “Just days ago, Israeli news channels showed they would not follow government dictates,” referring to decisions by networks to limit or not air a recorded message by Netanyahu. “In that same spirit, they should choose not to broadcast the official ceremony and instead air the civilian one at Hostages Square,” he argued.
The campaign is being coordinated by the grassroots movement Zazim – Community Action. Similar initiatives in recent months, particularly those led by families of hostages and evacuees from southern communities, have drawn widespread public support and partial coverage from major networks.
Kipnis, who has been active in protests led by hostage families, accused the government of attempting to silence criticism during the war. “In the most difficult days, when our families’ lives were at risk, the government made things harder and tried to suppress our voices,” he said.
“We found ourselves in the absurd situation where the very government responsible for saving our families’ lives was threatening us personally and suppressing our efforts to bring them home,” he added.
The state-organized Independence Day torch-lighting ceremony on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem is scheduled for the evening of Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at 7:45 p.m. Israel Time. Netanyahu will reportedly attend the ceremony, mainly because of the presence of Argentine President Javier Milei.
Tobias Holchman contributed to this report.
Source:
www.jpost.com
