Culture Minister Miri Regev announced Tuesday at a meeting of the Ministerial Committee for Ceremonies and Symbols that she is considering expanding the traditional torch-lighting ceremony on the eve of Independence Day on Mount Herzl to include a speech by the prime minister on the occasion of Israel's 70th birthday, according to Channel 2 Television.
Regev's initiative would break from the tradition of only the Knesset Speaker addressing the gathering, which produced protest from Knesset representatives. Regev explained that due to invitations to foreign dignitaries such as United States President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Knesset Speaker should not be the only one to speak.