Actress Hana Laszlo announced on Monday that she is relinquishing the honor of lighting a torch at the 78th Independence Day ceremony.
She explained this by saying that "Bereaved parents are writing to me and it is very difficult for me," in light of their appeals against her being honored.
MK Almog Cohen (Otzma Yehudit) praised the event, writing on X/Twitter that "It's clear as day that the heroic IDF soldiers, from right and left, are not war criminals, and that whoever called them such will not be able to light a torch."
"I am glad that justice has been done for those who lost what was most precious to them, and for those who sacrificed their bodies and souls for the people and the homeland," Cohen added.
"Laszlo is a representative of Kaplan [protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu]. How did you bring her to the ceremony?" Tourism Minister Haim Katz added.
Transportation Minister Miri Regev, who is responsible for the ceremony, clarified that there will be no replacement and 14 torchlighters will participate this year instead of the originally slated 15.
Laszlo, in a post on her personal Instagram on Sunday, refuted allegations that she claimed things against the IDF, including that IDF soldiers committed war crimes.
'I love, support, connect with IDF soldiers,' Laszlo says
"I support them, love them, and connect with them with every fiber of my soul. I am proud of the privilege of performing in front of generations of soldiers over the last fifty years, from military service as a soldier in the Southern Command Band in the Yom Kippur War to today," she wrote.
"Even when I said my opinion, and it's not always convenient for everyone, it has never turned against the soldiers that protect our home with heroism and dedication. The beacon ceremony must be above all controversy," before adding that she intended to participate in the ceremony.