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Israelis Ready for Back-to-Back Memorial, Independence Commemorations

Israelis are making final preparations for the nation’s signature back-to-back commemorations beginning Tuesday night and running through Thursday evening. A siren heard throughout the country at 8pm Tuesday will usher in a 24-hour period of homage to those who have died in defense of the nation or at the hands of terrorists. Shops and cafes will close and all television channels will suspend regular programming and run vignettes of the stories of its fallen soldiers. The day of solemnity and ceremonies will give way on Wednesday evening when the start of Independence Day, celebrating Israel’s 70th year, will signal a national mood shift into joyous celebrations, with dancing in the streets, pageantry, the annual Bible Contest, air force fly-overs, open house at the President’s Residence and an afternoon of barbeques. Meanwhile, Palestinians lament the creation of the Jewish state, referring to the anniversary as “The Naqba” (catastrophe). Security will be heightened through the 48-hour period and crossing points between the Palestinian Territories and Israel closed. One exception will be the entry of about 200 Palestinians who will participate in a joint Israeli-Palestinian memorial ceremony. The High Court of Justice ruled on Tuesday that the contingency could enter Israel despite the objections of the defense minister, who told the court the joint rite was in bad taste. Minister Avigdor Lieberman argued that the event equates “the murder and the murderer.”