ISLAMABAD: The Israeli opposition plans to boycott Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech in the Knesset during his visit to the country, according to local Israeli media.
According to reports, opposition leader Yair Lapid and his party are in a standoff with Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana after he decided not to invite the president of the Israeli Supreme Court, Isaac Amit, to a special parliamentary session, a departure from customary practice.
Lapid, in a post on X, said: “We want to be in the session, we need to be in the session. Prime Minister Netanyahu must instruct Ohana to allow us to participate in the session.”
Speaking in the local media, he added that the opposition does not want "the leader of a nation of one and a half billion people standing here before a half-empty Knesset," and claimed the Indian embassy was "in a panic."
The Indian prime minister is visiting Israel Feb. 25-26, according to India’s foreign ministry.
Lapid cautioned that empty seats during Modi’s visit would send a negative message and could potentially harm international relations, according to The Jerusalem Post.
The tensions come amid a broader rift between the government and the judiciary, as the government has refused to formally recognize Amit as the Supreme Court’s chief justice.
