Supreme Court chief not invited to Knesset for Indian prime minister’s address

Supreme Court President Isaac Amit has yet to receive an invitation to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the Knesset on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Judicial Authority told The Times of Israel on Monday.

The lack of an invitation was confirmed by a spokesman for Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, who said that “there is nothing new” when asked if an invitation had been extended in line with established protocol.

The spokesman was referring to Ohana’s tweet from last Wednesday, in which the Likud politician condemned Opposition Leader Yair Lapid for threatening to boycott Modi’s visit to the Knesset unless Amit is invited to the special session. Lapid’s threat came after several recent high-profile snubs of the country’s top judge by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition.

Responding to Ohana’s spokesman, an opposition source accused the Knesset speaker of “causing this whole embarrassment as part of his primary campaign in Likud.”

“He’s putting his personal political interest above the national interest and above Israel’s international standing. No one really understands why the Knesset speaker is forcing the Knesset into this situation. He is in power, he knows the protocol, he can solve it,” the source stated.

If the opposition indeed boycotts Modi’s Knesset speech on Wednesday, Ohana will fill their seats with former lawmakers, national broadcaster Kan reported.

According to the network, Yesh Atid MK Meirav Ben-Ari asked Ohana during a meeting if Amit had been invited to attend the speech, to which he replied, “Of course not.”

“Don’t worry, I promise you that Prime Minister Modi will not speak to a half-empty plenum,” Ohana said.

Addressing reporters ahead of his weekly faction meeting in the Knesset, Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman blamed Ohana for any opposition boycott, stating that he is not abiding by Knesset regulations.

“The one who started all the boycotts is the Knesset speaker,” said Liberman. “I really hope he changes his mind.”

Following Amit’s election as court president in January 2025, Justice Minister Yariv Levin refused to recognize his authority 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.

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.

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 and several other world leaders.

The opposition boycotted a Knesset session two weeks ago meant to celebrate the Knesset’s 77th birthday due to Amit’s exclusion. Lapid was the only member of the opposition to address the plenum, using his speech to attack Netanyahu over his treatment of the court president.

While Levin and other critics have alleged that Amit had presided over several cases in which he had conflicts of interest, their response to his election is largely seen as frustration on their part after they failed to change the system to ensure the appointment of a conservative judge.

Critics also say it is part of an organized effort by the government to erode the legitimacy of the top court and seize power from the judiciary.