Netanyahu Postpones Son's Wedding Amid Iran War, Draws Flak For 'Personal Cost' Remark
Critics highlighted the suffering of hostages and frontline workers, contrasting it with Netanyahu's focus on his family's inconvenience.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has drawn flak from Israelis after he said that the marriage of his son, Avner has been postponed for a second time amid war with Iran.
Standing against the backdrop of a missile-struck hospital building in the southern city of Beersheba, Netanyahu attempted to strike an emotional chord but triggered a howl of derision that echoed around the Hebrew language internet, reported The Guardian.
His comment also added grist to the arguments of his critics that the Israeli PM is increasingly cut off emotionally from the daily realities of Israel and the region, after more than 17 years in office.
Netanyahu Postpones Son's Marriage
Seeking to highlight his family's shared hardship with ordinary Israelis, Netanyahu pointed out that it was not the first time his son Avner's wedding was postponed.
He also said that the decision not only disappointed Avner's fiancee but also thwarted the groom's mother, Netanyahu's wife, Sara.
“It really reminds me of the British people during the Blitz. We are going through a blitz,” he said, referring to the wartime Nazi bombing of Britain in which 43,000 civilians died.
“There are people who were killed, families who grieved loved ones, I really appreciate that,” he added.
Standing against the rubble at the Soroka hospital, which was struck on Thursday morning by an Iranian missile, Netanyahu said: "Each of us bears a personal cost, and my family has not been exempt."
“This is the second time that my son Avner has cancelled a wedding due to missile threats. It is a personal cost for his fiancee as well, and I must say that my dear wife is a hero, and she bears a personal cost.”
Avner's wedding was initially planned to take place in November but was postponed for security reasons. Then it was due to take place on Monday, despite the threat of opposition protests.
'Borderless Narcissist'
Netanyahu's emotional appeal did not go well with the Israeli public and the leaders and was labelled a "narcissist".
Anat Angrest, whose son Matan has been held hostage since the October 7, 2023 attack, observed the suffering “didn’t go unnoticed by my family either”.
“I have been in the hellish dungeons of Gaza for 622 days now,” Angrest said in a post on the social media platform X.
A Knesset member for the Democrat, Gilad Kariv called Netanyahu a “borderless narcissist”.
“I know many families who were not forced to postpone a wedding, but who will now never celebrate the weddings that were once meant to take place,” Kariv said.
He also slammed the PM for calling his wife a hero, who is notorious in Israel for her expensive tastes.
“The doctors who leave home for night shifts are the heroes,” Kariv said. “The teachers who keep our children together on Zoom and phone calls are the heroes.
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