Angry crowd forces Israeli PM to halt speech

Family members shouted that he should be held responsible for the handling of the disaster response. Others directed their anger at Interior Minister Eli Yishai, who was escorted out of the hall. Firefighting services are part of his ministry.

Israel's firefighting services were unprepared for the huge fire, which destroyed swaths of forest in Israel's north. Since Israel lacked any suitable aircraft, Netanyahu had to appeal for help from abroad. Several nations, including the United States, sent firefighting planes that helped douse the blaze after four days.

During Wednesday's disturbance, bodyguards rushed toward the podium and formed a line to keep people away from Netanyahu.

Relatives yelled at him to resign and called the ceremony a disgrace. They objected to his attempt to identify with their personal pain without taking responsibility for the tragedy.

"We will find out the truth. We will not rest until we find out the truth," shouted one man from the crowd.

Netanyahu had to stop talking for several minutes while security officers restored order.