{"id":310374,"date":"2026-02-26T01:02:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T01:02:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/310374\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T01:02:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T01:02:10","slug":"with-modi-in-knesset-opposition-boycott-pms-speech-over-exclusion-of-high-court-chief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/310374\/","title":{"rendered":"With Modi in Knesset, Opposition boycott PM’s speech over exclusion of High Court chief"},"content":{"rendered":"

Opposition lawmakers walked out of the Knesset plenum on Wednesday evening, skipping speeches by parliament speaker Amir Ohana and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to protest the exclusion<\/a> of High Court president Isaac Amit from a special legislative session honoring Indian premier Narendra Modi.<\/p>\n

They returned later in the evening to attend Modi\u2019s speech, with Opposition Leader Yair Lapid welcoming the Indian leader and assuring him that the protest had \u201cnothing to do with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lapid last week threatened<\/a> to boycott the event unless Amit was invited, following several recent high-profile snubs of the country\u2019s top judge by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s coalition. He later appealed to Netanyahu to instruct Ohana to invite Amit to ensure that the opposition was not \u201cexcluded<\/a>\u201d from the session.<\/p>\n

Following Amit\u2019s election as court president in January 2025, Justice Minister Yariv Levin refused to recognize his authority<\/a> and has subsequently refused to meet with him or address him as head of the court, nor publish his appointment as chief justice in the state gazette, as required by law.<\/p>\n

Some members of the government have followed his lead, and Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli and Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi have both publicly called on the government not to abide by specific court orders and decisions on several occasions.<\/p>\n

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As a result of this boycott, Amit has been excluded from multiple Knesset events to which he would have traditionally been invited, including speeches by US President Donald Trump<\/a> and several other world leaders.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, attend a special session in the Knesset, February 25, 2026. At right is Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana. (Yonatan Sindel\/Flash90)<\/p>\n

Responding to Lapid\u2019s ultimatum last week, Ohana accused the opposition leader of harming Israeli-Indian relations to score domestic political points and called his threat an \u201cillegitimate\u201d weapon in \u201can internal political struggle.\u201d<\/p>\n

As opposition MKs left the chamber on Wednesday evening, Yesh Atid released a statement blaming the walkout on Ohana\u2019s \u201cdisgraceful decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will only return for the Indian prime minister\u2019s speech to respect the alliance between the countries and express our appreciation for Prime Minister Modi\u2019s standing by Israel,\u201d the statement added.<\/p>\n

Speaking with The Times of Israel, Yesh Atid MK Moshe Tur-Paz accused Ohana of \u201cdisgracing the dignity of the State of Israel,\u201d arguing that his \u201cprimary election considerations cannot be allowed to affect Israel\u2019s foreign relations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will honor the Indian prime minister and attend his speech only. Knesset Speaker Ohana and Israel\u2019s Prime Minister Netanyahu do not deserve respect in light of their divisive behavior,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tIsraeli lawmakers listen to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Knesset in Jerusalem during Modi\u2019s official visit to Israel on February 25, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel\/Flash90)<\/p>\n

Ohana did not acknowledge the protest during his speech, instead focusing on lauding Modi as a staunch ally of Israel and the architect, together with Netanyahu, of \u201ca true strategic partnership\u201d between Jerusalem and New Delhi.<\/p>\n

He later presented Modi with the newly established Medal of the Knesset to honor him for his \u201csignificant contributions to the State of Israel and the Jewish people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tKnesset Speaker Amir Ohana awards Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi the new Medal of the Knesset on February 25, 2026 (Noam Moshkovitz\/Knesset)<\/p>\n

After opposition lawmakers left the chamber, former coalition lawmakers took their places to ensure that it did not appear empty in television broadcasts of the session.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmir Ohana made a lot of effort to make sure he has enough people in case the opposition makes any kind of circus, to leave the plenum or something like that,\u201d one former MK told The Times of Israel. \u201cHe made personal phone calls. I don\u2019t think I was the only one he called.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Knesset sent an email blast to all former legislators, \u201cand there were specific ones that the speaker wanted to invite whom he called,\u201d a coalition source stated, adding that the move highlights \u201cthe level of significance and importance that the Knesset is ascribing to this visit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reentering the Knesset after boycotting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s speech, Lapid shook Modi\u2019s hand and welcomed him to the Knesset.<\/p>\n

Lapid told Modi that the opposition walkout during this evening\u2019s special session had \u201cnothing to do with you,\u201d drawing boos from coalition lawmakers, to which he replies: \u201cLet\u2019s try not make things worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Addressing the Knesset. Do watch my speech. @KnessetENG<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/a8V6Ah5HwY<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe entire State of Israel is filled with admiration for your leadership, for your friendship, for the fact that you were here for us in our time of trouble, and for the alliance, the eternal alliance between our two states,\u201d Lapid said. \u201cSo thank you very much for being here. And we are all, both sides of the aisle, looking forward to hearing your speech.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Following Wednesday\u2019s special session, Benny Gantz\u2019s Blue and White party released a statement arguing that the incident proved that Israel\u2019s political blocs must stop fighting and \u201cestablish a broad, Zionist government.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, we witnessed a shameful event for the State of Israel, and the ultimate responsibility lies with Knesset Speaker [Amir Ohana], who prefers the Likud primaries over Israel\u2019s diplomatic relations with one of the world\u2019s great powers,\u201d said the party, adding that \u201cGantz approached Ohana as early as a week ago and asked him to prevent this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blue and White said that it \u201csucceeded in ensuring that the rest of the opposition would attend\u201d Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s speech itself, \u201cand at the very least, we avoided that particular embarrassment.\u201d<\/p>\n


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