NASA scientist forced to cancel appearance at Israeli meeting amid tensions with US

An astrophysicist with the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration has been forced to pull out of a conference in Israel amid tensions with the Biden administration over the judicial overhaul being pushed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

“A little sad today…was supposed to be traveling to Israel for some technical and public talks. But my travel authorization was revoked yesterday,” Amber Straugh wrote on Twitter, without elaborating.

According to a report today in the Haaretz daily, Straughn told organizers of the Israel Physical Society’s annual meeting that she was instructed by the State Department to cancel her appearance. Straughn had been set to be a keynote speaker.