Modi’s Israel visit sees tensions over Israel's Supreme Court chief's exclusion

Ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's proposed visit to Israel from 25 February to 26 February, Israel's domestic politics is roiled by opposition leader Yair Lapid's threatening to boycott his address to parliament unless the Israeli Supreme Court chief is invited to it, as per convention, said a PTI report from Jerusalem.

Modi is expected to arrive in Israel on 25 February for a two-day visit, during which he is likely to address the Knesset (Israeli parliament) and meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog.

Leader of the Opposition Lapid has insisted that Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit be invited to the Knesset when Modi addresses the House.

PTI, citing sources in the opposition, said it is not a call for boycott, instead the Israeli government is "intentionally trying to force us into a bad situation."

"We spoke to the Indian Embassy ... They are in panic from this. Prime Minister of India, Modi, is invited to the Knesset next Wednesday, something that is a matter of honour for all of us," Lapid told the Knesset recently.

"If the coalition boycotts the President of the High Court during the special session with the Prime Minister of India, we will not be able to attend the debate," Lapid told the lawmakers, stressing that another public boycott of Amit by the coalition would cause "enormous embarrassment" to the legislature.

"We do not want India to be embarrassed by us with the Prime Minister of a nation of a billion people standing here in front of a half-empty Knesset," PTI quoted Lapid as saying.

Israel's domestic politics is embroiled in a heated debate over judicial overhaul, a divisive issue that has also sharply polarized the country for over two years. The country faced large protests on the issue before the October 7 attack by Hamas two years ago, drawing hundreds of thousands of people to the streets every weekend for almost ten months.

Following Amit's election as court President in January 2025, Justice Minister Yariv Levin has refused to recognise his authority as the Chief Justice and has refused to meet him or address him as head of the court.

The State Gazette has also not published his name as the Chief Justice, as required by law.

This has led to Amit's exclusion from multiple Knesset events including addresses by US President Donald Trump and other world leaders to which he would have traditionally been invited.

Two weeks ago, the opposition boycotted a Knesset session to celebrate its 77th anniversary 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.

The Leader of opposition's (LOP) threat has led to heated exchanges in the political circles with Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana accusing Lapid of harming the India-Israel relations in order to score domestic political points.

"If the leader of the opposition, M K Yair Lapid, wants to harm the foreign relations of the State of Israel with an important friend of ours, who is also one of the most important powers in the world, that is his choice. An unfortunate, wrong choice, and I hope he will reverse it," Ohana posted on X, calling such threats "illegitimate weapons in an internal political struggle."

The Knesset Speaker also called upon the opposition leader to explain to the Indian government why he did not choose to boycott appearances by Argentinian President Javier Milei and US President Trump, "even though Justice Amit was not invited" to their speeches.

Lapid responded by issuing a public appeal to Netanyahu, agreeing that boycotting a foreign leader was indeed "an illegitimate weapon in an internal political struggle" but argued the fault lay with the Knesset speaker.

To prevent harm to ties between India and Israel, Netanyahu "must immediately instruct Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana to also invite Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit to the ceremonial meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Lapid said.

Senior sources in the opposition told PTI that "they (the government) are intentionally trying to force us into a bad situation."

"We are not calling for a boycott. We are calling on the PM and Speaker to invite the President of the Supreme Court in accordance with the protocol," a source said.

"We hope that the prime minister resolves this and avoids embarrassment during such an important visit by a great friend and strategic ally. Everyone in Israel greatly values the relationship and friendship with India," the source said.