According to the Haaretz article, "Netanyahu Cancels Bieber Date Over Refusal to Meet Kids Affected by Gaza Rockets," Barak Ravid recounts reports that Canadian singer Justin Bieber declined to meet children who narrowly escaped being hit by rocket fire as they exited an Israeli school bus shortly before it was hit several weeks ago. A 16-year-old boy was seriously injured in the attack.
The children had been invited to an already scheduled meeting between Bieber and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the prime minister sought to draw attention to the plight of children living in Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip which have in recent months come under increased fire from rockets launched by Palestinian terrorists.
According to Haaretz, Netanyahu canceled the meeting after his attempt to include the children was turned down.
Ravid reported:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has canceled his date with pop sensation Justin Bieber over the singer's refusal to meet with children living in communities affected by Gaza rocket fire, Channel Two reported on Tuesday. The prime minister was scheduled to host the young singer at his office in Jerusalem on Wednesday evening, before Bieber's Thursday night concert.
The Haaretz reporter continued:
Taking advantage of the PR opportunity presented by the meeting with Bieber, Netanyahu's advisers invited a group of children from communities near the Gaza border to attend. The children had disembarked from a school bus just before it was hit by a Hamas rocket last Thursday, critically wounded a teen and moderately wounding the bus driver. Bieber reportedly refused to meet the children, which led Netanyahu to cancel the meeting.
