As Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India prepares to arrive in Israel, the Knesset is working to avoid the optics of a half-empty plenum.
Following opposition threats to boycott Modi’s scheduled speech on Wednesday, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana decided to invite former members of Knesset to attend and sit in the chamber in order to fill seats.
The boycott threat stems from Ohana’s decision not to invite Supreme Court President Justice Yitzhak Amit to the special session. Opposition leader Yair Lapid said last week that if the coalition excludes the head of the Supreme Court from the event, opposition lawmakers would not attend.
“If the coalition boycotts the president of the Supreme Court at the special session with the prime minister of India, we will not be able to attend,” Lapid said, warning of potential embarrassment to the Knesset and accusing Ohana of harming Israel’s international standing. He called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to instruct Ohana to extend an invitation to Amit.
Ohana rejected the criticism, saying that if Lapid chooses to damage Israel’s foreign relations with “an important friend and one of the world’s major powers,” that is his decision. He noted that opposition lawmakers did not boycott previous special sessions honoring Argentine President Javier Milei, U.S. President Donald Trump or Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during earlier visits, despite the Supreme Court president not being invited to those events.
The move to invite former lawmakers is not unprecedented. Former Knesset members have attended previous high-profile addresses, including Trump’s speech, where they were seated in designated areas. However, this would be the first time the measure is taken in response to an anticipated boycott.
3 View gallery
Netanyahu and Modi: 'We splashed in the Mediterranean and the Ganges, and since then ties have grown closer'
(Photo: Kobi Gideon/ GPO)
Indian officials are reportedly weighing whether to proceed with the speech, amid concerns about potentially embarrassing images of a sparsely attended plenum.
Modi is expected to arrive for a two-day state visit and meet with senior Israeli leaders. According to Israeli officials, the visit will include the signing of a memorandum of understanding to expand bilateral cooperation.
Netanyahu described his relationship with Modi as close, saying the two countries have deepened strategic ties in recent years. Modi’s planned address to the Knesset, if it goes ahead, is expected to focus on strengthening economic, technological and security cooperation, as well as joint efforts to confront terrorism and regional extremism.