PM मोदी के दौरे को लेकर इजरायल में हंगामा, नेताओं ने बॉयकॉट करने की क्यों दी धमकी? – PM Modi israel visit opposition leader threatens boycott pm modi knesset address ntcprk tvisp
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel seems to be getting entangled in the domestic politics there. The opposition leader there, Yair Lapid, is threatening to boycott PM Modi’s address to the Israeli Parliament. PM Modi is going on a two-day visit to Israel on 25 February. During this time he can address the Knesset (Israeli Parliament).
Opposition leader Lapid warned on Wednesday that he will boycott Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address next week if Supreme Court President Justice Isaac Amit is not invited to the special session.
Lapid’s threat came in protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition’s continued ignoring of the country’s top judges. Opposition parties believe that this violation of protocol is an attempt to lower the dignity of the judiciary.
Modi’s visit and opposition’s threat
IsraelAddressing MPs in the Parliament, Yair Lapid said clearly, ‘If the ruling coalition boycotts the President of the Supreme Court during the special session of the Prime Minister of India, it will not be possible for us to participate in this discussion.’
He further warned that the coalition’s public boycott of Justice Amit would be extremely embarrassing for the Israeli legislature.
‘Don’t want India to face embarrassment’
Yair Lapid continued his talk and said, ‘We do not want India to face embarrassment because of us. Especially when the Prime Minister of a country with a population of more than a billion addresses a half-empty Knesset (Parliament). The Indian Embassy is also very worried and uncomfortable with this situation.
Let us tell you that the controversy has deepened since Justice Amit was elected President of the Supreme Court in January 2025. Justice Minister Yariv Levin has not only refused to recognize his authority but has avoided meeting him or even addressing him as head of the court. Apart from this, as per rules, his appointment as Chief Justice has also not been published yet in the official Gazette of the state.
Some other members of the government have also supported the same stance. Migrant Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli and Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi have on several occasions publicly called on the government to disregard specific orders and rulings of the court.
Due to this continuous boycott, Isaac Amit has been kept away from many important Knesset events in which the Chief Justice’s presence was considered mandatory. It also includes addresses from US President Donald Trump and other prominent world leaders.
The controversy deepened during the Knesset’s 2025 winter legislative session last October, when Speaker Amir Ohana referred to Amit as only an ordinary judge rather than chief justice. President Isaac Herzog had lodged a strong objection to this insulting behaviour.
In protest against this neglect, the opposition had completely boycotted the special session of the 77th anniversary of the Knesset two weeks ago. Yair Lapid was the only member of the opposition who addressed the House and during his speech made a sharp attack on Prime Minister Netanyahu’s attitude towards the Chief Justice.
Speaker’s counterattack on Lapid
Responding to Lapid’s ultimatum on Wednesday, Speaker Ohana hit back at him. Ohana accused the opposition leader of putting the important Israel-India relationship at stake for his domestic political gains.
Ohana tweeted, “If opposition leader MK Yair Lapid wants to harm Israel’s relations with one of our important friends, one of the world’s most important powers, then that is his choice.” This is a wrong decision and I hope they change it.
He called such threats an illegitimate weapon for the internal political battle of the country.
Ohana asked Lapid to explain to the Indian government why it did not boycott the speeches of Argentine President Javier Milli and US President Trump, in which Justice Amit was not invited.
In response, Lapid issued a public appeal to Netanyahu in which he acknowledged that boycotting a foreign leader was indeed an illegitimate weapon in an internal political battle, but also said that the Knesset speaker was at fault.
Lapid said that to avoid damage to Israel-India relations, Netanyahu should immediately instruct Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana to invite Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit to the formal meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Emphasizing his point, Yair Lapid said, ‘The boycott of Justice Amit by Speaker Ohana is in fact a boycott of the entire opposition as well.
He clarified that he has no intention of harming the dignity of the country, the credibility of the Knesset and the image of the Prime Minister, but the stubborn stance of the government has forced him to do so.
However, Justice Minister Yariv Levin and other critics have alleged that Justice Amit has heard many cases in which he had a personal conflict of interest. Despite this, experts believe that Justice Amit’s critics, including Levin, failed to appoint a conservative judge of their choice by changing the appointment system of the judiciary and their anger is only about this.
Amidst the ongoing boycott against him, Justice Amit, while talking to national broadcaster ‘Kan’ last month, had said that he has been ready to provide every possible support for the proper functioning of the judicial system but he has not received the same support in return from the ruling party.
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