As Israel's Memorial Day concludes, 12 torches are lit to symbolize the "spirit of the nation" and mark the beginning of Independence Day, commemorating the state's establishment in 1948 – an event that led to the ethnic cleansing of at least 750,000 Palestinians. The honor of lighting one of the torches over the resting place of Theodor Herzl, widely credited as the founder of modern Zionism, is regarded as one of the highest accolades in the country.
This year, among those selected for the ceremony is Avraham Zarbiv, a 52-year-old rabbi and state rabbinical judge so controversial that even the Israeli military – an organization that admits to having killed over 70,000 Palestinians in Gaza – has publicly distanced itself from him. A military spokesperson said last week that Zarbiv "was not selected in coordination" with the military and does not represent it at the ceremony, despite being an army reservist.
Zarbiv first gained national prominence in early 2024 when footage emerged of him throwing grenades at Palestinians in Khan Younis during a firefight. He has since recorded himself gleefully demolishing Palestinian homes – with his name even becoming a verb meaning to flatten or obliterate – and shared videos of participating in home demolitions in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces are accused of deploying scorched earth tactics similar to those used in Gaza's genocide.
Despite the military's disavowal, Transport Minister Miri Regev nominated Zarbiv for the torch-lighting ceremony. She described him as a father of six who "combines in his life in an inspiring way between the book and the sword – between Torah and the army, between study and action." However, the Israeli rights group B’tselem condemned the decision, stating it "represents a state-level endorsement of the complete dehumanization of Palestinians and the systematic destruction of Palestinian life" after over two years of genocide in Gaza.
Additionally, the Belgian-based Hind Rajab Foundation, which seeks to prosecute Israeli soldiers based on video evidence they provide, filed an official complaint against Zarbiv with the International Criminal Court (ICC). The foundation's lawyers argued that his boasts of destroying 50 buildings per week in Gaza, participation in the total destruction of entire neighborhoods, and public incitement to violence constitute clear breaches of the Geneva Convention and Rome Statute. Co-founder Dyab Abou Jahjah called Zarbiv "a notorious perpetrator of grave international crimes," adding that his selection is "not incidental – it is revealing" of a state project rooted in Palestinian dispossession.
Source: www.aljazeera.com