Ben Gurion’s grandson curses Netanyahu at rally

David Ben-Gurion’s grandson Yariv Ben Eliezer cursed Prime Minister Netanyahu during a memorial event-turned anti-government rally.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

David Ben-Gurion’s grandson cursed Prime Minister Netanyahu during a memorial event-turned anti-government rally at Kibbutz Sde Boker on Sunday.

Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, spent his final years at the kibbutz and was buried on the grounds. Sde Boker hosts an annual memorial event for Ben-Gurion, but this year’s event turned into an anti-government rally.

Some 250 demonstrators, who arrived at the event via a 100-strong car caravan, came to protest Netanyahu. They told local media that it was an appropriate setting to protest Netanyahu, because, they say, the current prime minister has failed to live up to Ben-Gurion’s legacy and values.

Yariv Ben Eliezer, Ben-Gurion’s grandson, was present at the rally and gave a short speech.

Addressing the crowd, he said, “You [protesters] came from all over the country to express themselves in protest and say, ‘F**k Netanyahu, and long live Israel.”

His remarks were met with raucous applause and cheers.

The anti-Netanyahu Black Flags protest group said in a statement, “The State of Israel needs to heal from the massive damage caused by Netanyahu.”

“Netanyahu is not Ben-Gurion. Ben-Gurion was involved in building the country and gathering in the exiles — Netanyahu is busy dismantling society.”

Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin spoke at the ceremony on Sunday. On Saturday, activists wrote the word “Go,” often used by protesters as a demand for Netanyahu’s resignation, on the helipad where Netanyahu landed for the ceremony.

During his speech, Netanyahu called on world powers to refrain from entering the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

“We must uphold an uncompromised policy to guarantee that Iran doesn’t develop nuclear weapons,” he said.

“Thanks to our firm stance to prevent the nuclearization of Iran and our objection to the nuclear accord, many Arab countries have fundamentally changed their approach towards Israel.”