Overview
- During a Knesset discussion, Prime Minister’s Office envoy Yoel Elbaz proposed replacing the word “massacre” in the bill’s title with the Hebrew term for “events.”
- Lawmakers approved retitling the measure to “Memory and Commemoration of the Events of Simhat Torah,” with committee chair Yosef Taieb indicating the wording could be revisited before the final vote.
- The Prime Minister’s Office said the term “massacre” still appears in the bill’s text and argued the legislation is intended to reflect the full scope of Oct. 7.
- Families of victims and hostages and opposition figures denounced the title change as an effort to whitewash Oct. 7 and avoid accountability for security failures.
- Culture Minister Miki Zohar defended the shift on public radio, saying Israelis “are not being slaughtered,” as the Oct. 7 attacks left roughly 1,200 dead and about 250 taken hostage.