Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki has announced that Israel will not be invited to this year’s peace ceremony commemorating the 1945 atomic bombing of the city.

The annual event on August 9 traditionally brings together diplomats from around the world to reflect on the importance of peace and the dangers of nuclear weapons. Representatives from 115 countries and the European Union are expected to be in attendance.

Suzuki emphasized that his decision was not politically motivated but rather based on security concerns.

“This was a difficult decision,” Suzuki told reporters on Wednesday. “Our primary goal is to ensure that the ceremony goes smoothly and maintains its solemn purpose of remembering the victims of the atomic bombing.”

In response, Israeli Ambassador to Japan Gilad Cohen stressed that Suzuki’s decision lends international credence to the libelous narrative that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

“Israel is exercising its full right and moral obligation to defend itself and its citizens and will continue to do so. There is no comparison between Israel, which is being brutally attacked by terrorist organizations, and any other conflict. Any attempt to present it otherwise distorts the reality,” Cohen wrote on X.

Meanwhile, Hiroshima authorities have announced that they had no plans to rescind Israel’s invitation to their own peace event, despite growing pressure from anti-Israel ‘activist’ groups and atomic bomb survivors. They have accused Hiroshima of hypocrisy considering Russia and Ukraine have been barred from the ceremony.

Speaking to CNN, a Hiroshima government representative explained that the two conflicts couldn’t be equated as Israel is fighting a defensive war and Russia an offensive one.

“It is not a double standard. Our policy is to invite all countries. However, Russia and Belarus are exceptions due to the invasion of Ukraine,” he said.