From the Liveblog of
Monday, March 25, 2024
Kisch said to be mulling shifting Israel Prize ceremony from Jerusalem to Sderot
Education Minister Yoav Kisch is considering moving this year’s Israel Prize ceremony from Jerusalem to Sderot, the Walla news site reports.
The outlet says the proposal to move the ceremony — set to be attended by many top dignitaries — has prompted concerns from the Shin Bet, given the town’s proximity to the Gaza Strip amid the ongoing war against Hamas.
The ceremony is attended by the president, the prime minister, the speaker of the Knesset, the president of the Supreme Court, the mayor of Jerusalem and the education minister.
The event is set to be held on Independence Day, which falls on May 14 this year.
Kisch announced last week he was reversing his decision not to award the Israel Prize in traditional categories this year and to instead hand out prizes only in two new war-related categories.
The Israel Prize, which is overseen by the Education Ministry, has been mired in controversy since the mid-February announcement of its curtailment.
The Maariv news outlet reported in late February that Kisch had made the change to avoid bestowing the Entrepreneurship Award on the leading candidate, businessman Eyal Waldman, a prominent critic of the government’s judicial overhaul agenda, whose daughter was murdered in the Supernova massacre on October 7.
