New Delhi: A political row erupted in Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, ahead of Narendra Modi’s official visit later this week, after opposition parties threatened to boycott a special plenary session that Modi is scheduled to address over the decision not to invite Chief Justice Yitzhak Amit.
In response, Speaker Amir Ohana was reported to have devised a way to avoid the spectacle of a sparsely attended chamber. The plan, according to accounts of the discussion, involved inviting former lawmakers to occupy the seats of any members who stayed away, so the visiting prime minister would see a full house, The Wire reported.
Ohana was quoted as telling MK Meirav Ben-Ari that Modi would not end up speaking before an empty hall, hinting that the arrangement would become clear by the time of the address. Modi is scheduled to be in Israel from February 25 to 26.
The dispute reportedly broke out during a praesidium meeting of the Knesset, when Ben-Ari of the centrist Yesh Atid asked whether Chief Justice Yitzhak Amit had been invited. Ohana is said to have replied that no invitation had been extended, pointing to the judge’s past absences from similar occasions. Ben-Ari objected, remarking that such conduct was unprecedented for a Knesset speaker.
The exchange then escalated into a heated argument, with Ben-Ari accusing the ruling coalition of showing disrespect to the legislature, while Ohana countered that the opposition should not jeopardise Israel’s foreign relations.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid urged Benjamin Netanyahu to ensure that the chief justice was invited, stressing the importance of ties with India. He indicated that the opposition wanted to attend the session and argued that domestic political disputes should not undermine diplomatic relations with a key partner.