Former Education Minister Yoav Gallant (left) with his mentor, previous PM Benjamin Netanyahu

Last Minute Final Decision Vetoes Israel Prize for Communist Scholar

Former Education Minister Yoav Gallant informed Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit on Friday, June 11, that he had finalized his decision to withhold the Israel Prize in mathematics and computer science from Prof. Oded Goldreich of the Weizmann Institute and a member of the Communist Party of Israel (CPI). According to an Haaretz editorial published on Sunday, June 13,…

Israel's highly militarized police stand ready to confront protesters in the streets of Arab Jaffa, May 21, 2021.

Israel’s Arab Citizens Decry Mass Arrests Aimed at Silencing Them

The High Follow up Committee for Arabs Citizens of Israel, an umbrella organization that is regarded as the national representative of the community, called on Wednesday, May 26, for an end to the government’s detention campaign aimed at politically intimidating and silencing the state’s Arab-Palestinian minority. The committee also demanded the annulment of all indictments issued…

Hadash, Labor and Meretz lawmarkers meet in solidarity with Prof. Oded Goldreich at the Knesset in Jerusalem, April 19, 2021.

Scientists Call on Education Min. to Give Israel Prize to Communist Prof

Eighteen prominent international scientists wrote to Israel’s far-right Minister of Education, Yoav Gallant, on Thursday, April 22, to protest his decision to withhold the Israel Prize from Professor Oded Goldreich of the Weizmann Institute of Science, a political activist and member of Hadash and the Communist Party of Israel. According to Haaretz, the scientists, outstanding figures…

Israel Prize laureate Prof. David Harel, left, a computer scientist who was granted the award in 2004, presents his own award statue to Goldreich at an "alternative ceremony" that took place at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Sunday, April 11, 2021. To the right is Hadash MK Ofer Cassif.

Five Israel Prize Winners Denounce Denying Award to Communist Prof.

Renowned Israeli film director and actress Michal Bat-Adam, a recipient of one of this year’s prestigious Israel Prizes, denounced on Sunday, April 11, far-right Education Minister Yoav Gallant’s move to withhold the prize from another nominee, Professor Oded Goldreich, due to that latter’s political views. During the recording of the awards ceremony on Sunday, Bat-Adam received…