Netanyahu Faces Backlash After Revealing War With Iran Forced Son’s Wedding Cancellation

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has come under fire after comparing his son Avner Netanyahu's delayed wedding to the personal sacrifices made during times of war and drawing a politically charged comparison to the Nazi bombing of Britain in World War II that killed 40,000 people.

Avner's wedding, which had been scheduled for November, was delayed after a Hezbollah drone struck one of the Prime Minister's private residences, despite the fact that he was not there.

Public opinion had already been divided, with opposition figures questioning whether there should be celebrations when Israeli hostages were being held in Gaza.

The ceremony was postponed to Monday, June 16. Again, it was cancelled after Israel made a significant military strike against Iran, resulting in an attack on nuclear sites and the death of important military leaders. The move created fears of a full-scale regional war.

Referring to the mood in London during the WWII Blitz, Netanyahu spoke close to a hospital hit by an Iranian missile strike. As reported by The Guardian, he said, "There are individuals who were murdered, families who mourned loved ones, I truly appreciate that… Every one of us has an individual cost, and my family has not been excluded." He proceeded to characterize his wife, Sara Netanyahu, as a "hero" for persevering through the repeated delays in their son's wedding, sympathizing with his prospective daughter-in-law's heartbreak.

Public and Political Reactions

The Prime Minister's remarks were roundly condemned online, with critics piling on him for being out of touch with the country's shared sadness and suffering amid war. Most were upset with what they perceived as an effort to draw an equivalence between a postponed wedding and the anguish of losing someone special or being in fear.

Anat Angrest, whose son Matan has been taken captive since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, replied, "The suffering did not remain unseen to my family either. I have been in the hellish Gaza dungeons for 622 days now."

Democratic Knesset member Gilad Kariv called Netanyahu a "borderless narcissist," noting that numerous families in Israel will never get to celebrate weddings that were already arranged. He also dismissed Netanyahu's words of praise for his wife, saying, "The doctors who go out to night shifts are the heroes. The teachers who maintain our children's unity on Zoom and phone calls are the heroes."

Seasoned journalist Amir Tibon continued that it is common for most public personalities whose children were killed in battle to normally avoid calling attention to their own loss. "But there are no surprises with Netanyahu," Tibon replied. "Even at times when a personal lesson is most called for, he is first and foremost about himself."

As regional tensions rise, Netanyahu's comments have created a new line of criticism, with Israelis up in arms about what they see as a widening gap between leaders and the afflictions of regular citizens.