Maklev: Ticket holders are not boarding Meron for fear of confrontation with the police

May 18, 2022   

Traffic jams and delays in parking lots before ascending Mount Meron are causing ticket holders to avoid ascending Mount Meron this year, for fear of getting into a confrontation with the police on the roads. Can you keep a secret? Solve an issue? We are looking for you for a prestigious position MK Uri Maklev spoke about this this evening (Wednesday) in the Knesset plenary: "This is a day of joy, but also the anniversary of the deaths of the 'Meron disaster' - and thousands are stuck in parking lots. The police are not exercising the appropriate tolerance towards worshippers. Why make it difficult? Why not honor the memory of the forty-five dead?! This year's Lag BaOmer is a very difficult day, the anniversary of forty-five people. Children, adults, siblings, parents of children, entire families who perished in this grave disaster that was not caught even after a year. A disaster on an international scale with forty-five deaths. The victims were not pushed or crowded anywhere, they did not try to get there by force, they did not think they were going to dangerous places. Quite the opposite. Most of them left a place where there was a little pressure, because they felt there was pressure and went out the only way they had, and in the end, in a disaster that was a disaster of silence, one strangling the other, not us. But the beginning of the events in the conduct of the police tonight, towards those who did receive the long-awaited approval - is very problematic. There are people who are not coming today, even though they have tickets, because they do not want to confront the police. Unfortunately, those responsible are not looking for the safety of those who come, but for their own personal security, and decisions are made on this basis. People who have been used to it for decades in a row - they, their parents, Their reasons - to come to Meron on this day and they are not coming this year. Those who do come in contact must be treated with due respect. Not only is there no tolerance, but the police in the field knew what their role was, which is to maintain order. But from now on, coming in contact with every worshiper in a confrontation, in alienation. Already tonight, people are standing in parking lots and on the road for many hours. Why make it difficult? Why not honor the memory of those who were killed? On this day, when part of the event will also be a memorial for those 45 killed.".