Independence Day

After Independence Day, Israel faces its biggest test: Unity - opinion

An alternative Indpendence Day ceremony and rising internal divisions expose a troubling reality: Israel’s unity seems tied to crisis, not peace.

|ByJEFFREY KAHN
To wake up tomorrow morning with a new song in my heart/To sing it with strength, to sing it with pain - Naomi Shemer.
A MOMENT of stillness as Israel marks 78 years of independence facing a complex reality.

Independence Day: Israel’s sirens signal danger, loss - and a wake-up call

Maybe we need that last one as a new tradition of ringing another siren at the beginning of every Independence Day – an alert that we are part of a very special country.

|ByDAVID BRINN
That mission is rooted in the fusion of the sacred and the everyday.

Parashat Acharei Mot-Kedoshim: The promise of permanence

The covenant endures. The people have returned. And, as the Malbim teaches, we shall never again be cast out.

|ByMICHAEL FREUND
Alon Ohel (right) accompanied by his brother, Ron.

Grapevine, April 24, 2026: Israel loves Milei!

Movers and shakers in Israeli society.

|ByGREER FAY CASHMAN

Jerusalem highlights: April 17-23

What's new to do in Israel's capital?

APRIL 17, 2026ByHAGAY HACOHEN
Jerusalem Cinematheque unveils renovated auditorium

Israel lifts wartime restrictions nationwide, authorizes Independence Day ceremonies

The IDF, Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar, and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced the nationwide lifting of restrictions on Friday, with northern communities seeing them lifted on Saturday.

APRIL 17, 2026ByTOBIAS HOLCMAN
People walk on Jaffa street in Jerusalem, during Israel's 76th Independence Day celebrations, May 13, 2024.

Two human rights groups recognize global significance of Israel’s Declaration of Independence 

Recognition comes amid rising attacks on Zionism since October 7 and ahead of Israel’s Independence Day 

APRIL 14, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Ambassador Oren Rozenblat receives the recognition from Dr. Luis Andrade.

'Very difficult for me': Actress Hana Laszlo decides to not carry Independence Day torch

Laszlo has faced controversy over supposed statements that opponents allege criticized the IDF's activities, particularly during the Israel-Hamas War.

APRIL 13, 2026ByANNA BARSKY, TZUF TZIMERING, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Hana Laszlo walks the red carpet ahead of a movie showing at the 77th Venice Film Festival, September 2020; illustrative.

President Herzog to award Argentina's Javier Milei with Presidential Medal of Honor

The medal is awarded to those who have made an exceptional contribution to Israel or humanity through their talent, service, or other means, the President's Office said.

APRIL 13, 2026ByJAMES GENN
Argentinian President Javier Milei and Israeli President Isaac Herzog tour in Kibbutz Nir Oz, southern Israel, February 8, 2024.

Gal Hirsch faces backlash over Independence Day torch-lighting amid tax fraud trial

The prosecution filed charges against Hirsch and three other individuals in October 2021 for tax offenses in the "Defensive Shield" case.

APRIL 12, 2026ByGILAD MORAG
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Gal Hirsch, Coordinator for the Hostages and the Missing in the Prime Minister's Office hold a press conferene at the Prime Minister's office in Jerursalem, January 27, 2026.

At 78, is Israel really an independent state? - opinion

This Passover was different from others because we spent too much of it in bomb shelters, pondering whether during such confinement we were truly free.

APRIL 11, 2026ByGIL HOFFMAN
COVID WAS the only time when Israel acted as though it were a small island with no neighbors. Pictured: Prepping a vaccine

Prime Minister's wife should light Independence Day torch, Knesset member declares

"She didn’t know about this, and I haven’t spoken to her about it. After two weeks of seeing the Prime Minister, I believe that Mrs. Sara Netanyahu deserves it," said Guetta.

MARCH 24, 2026By103FM
ISRAELI PRIME Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara Netanyahu attend a welcoming ceremony for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv on February 25, 2026.

'Historic decision': Kisch invites Trump to attend Israel Prize ceremony on Independence Day

Additionally, an N12 report indicated that, alongside his invitation to attend the ceremony, Trump has been invited to light a torch at the 78th Independence Day ceremony.

FEBRUARY 11, 2026BySHIR PERETS
US President Donald Trump gestures as he addresses House Republicans at their annual issues conference retreat, at the Kennedy Center, renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center by the Trump-appointed board of directors, in Washington, DC, US, January 6, 2026.

Trump plans world’s biggest arch to commemorate 250 years since US independence - report

Trump reportedly intends the 250-foot-tall arch to stand on Memorial Circle, between the Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial.

FEBRUARY 1, 2026ByLEO FEIERBERG BETTER
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump speaks to reporters over the North Atlantic as he returns to Washington from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, aboard Air Force One, US, January 22, 2026.