The Israel Prize Affair (2021-2022)

In February 2021, the Israel Prize committee for Mathematics and Computer Science decided to recommend bestowing the award on Oded Goldreich (OG). The Minister of Education asked the committee to reconsider its decision due OG's political activity, and after the committee reconfirmed its decision, making it final, the minister refused to accept it.

The committee appealed to the Supreme Court (on March 30), which, in a controversial decision (given on April 8), allowed the minister to reconsider the issue, and respond by 8-May-2021. On June 20, after several postponements, the minister published a final negative decision, but on July 22 the government legal adviser notified the court that - in his opinion - the minister's decision is unreasonable and unjustified from a legal point of view. On Aug 12, the court unanimously accepted the latter opinion, and asked the (new) minister to take a new decision based on the principles outlined in its ruling.

On Nov 18, the new education minister decided negatively, causing the award committee to appeal to the Supreme Court again (on 24-Nov-21). The hearing took place on 24-Feb-22, and the verdict was published on 29-Mar-22. The bottom-line was that the court instructed the minister to approve the committee's recommendation. On 11-Apr-22, the award was presented to OG.

See OG's report [in Hebrew] of the entire affair, main documentation, some published opinions, and news reports.

A lightly annotated time-table

• On Feb 8th 2021, the award committee made its selection and notified the education minister.
• On the very day, the minister (checking a "academic monitor" website that lists leftist Israeli academics and their "bad deeds") asked the committee to reconsider, which is his prerogative (provided he has valid reasons...).
• Feb 18: The committee decided that the information provided by the minister is irrelevant, and reconfirmed its decision, which by the award's by-laws is deemed final.

• Mar 9: After doing nothing for several weeks, the minister asked committee again to reconsider, although its decision is deemed final according to the by-laws. He also leaked OG's name and the story to the press on the 10th, again in clear violation of by-laws.
• Mar 11: The committee answered that the minister is acting in violation of the by-laws, and nevertheless it re-considered the issue and notified the minister that all that he said in the new letter was already considered by the committee on Feb 18th.
• Mar 14: The minister wrote another letter repeating his points, the main one being that OG supports the BDS movement, a claim he made already in his first appeal.
  This claim is based on OG's signing a petition to the German parliament expressing the opinion that the BDS movement is not anti-semitic. The petition states explicitly that the signers have varying opinions regarding the BDS movement and are united only in denying the equation. Furthermore, at the request of the chair of the committee, OG declared to him that he does not support the BDS movement, although both the chair and OG agreed that this is irrelevant. The chair forwarded the said declaration to the minister, who leaked it to the press, but made no announcement.

• Mar 17: The committee wrote the government legal adviser (hereafter GLA) asking that he instruct the minister to act according to the by-laws. No answer...
• Mar 25: The committee sent the GLA a notice-before-going-to-court. Still no answer.
• Mar 30: The committee appealed to the Supreme Court, which scheduled a hearing for Apr 5th and required preliminary responses by Apr 2nd (noon).
• Apr 2: After asking for three extensions, the GLA asked court to postpone to the hearing to Apr 8th, claiming that the minister has not made any decision so far (as if the three-weeks delay in announcement is not based on a decision). The GLA also said that the ceremony will take place on Apr 11 (another violation of by-laws, which he justified laconically stating COVID considerations). The court accepted the request and required preliminary responses by Apr 6th (noon).
  On Apr 4th official invitations for the ceremony were published, with no reference to an award in Mathematics and Computer Science. (Apr 2nd and 3rd were holidays so the invitations are likely to have been printed before...)
• Apr 6: The minister leaked a new "accusation" against OG: having signed a petition to the EU asking it to abide by its own regulations regarding not funding grants at the so-called Ariel University (located in the West Bank, in an Israeli settlement).
  The GLA asked for three extensions for his response, submitting it on April 7th at 7:30pm.
  In the answer, the GLA admitted that all original objections raised by the minister are irrelevant (for the award), but the new one may be relevant (by some dubious legal interpretation). He asked that the minister be given 30 days to study the issue (according to this legal interpretation).
• Apr 8 (9am): Hearing at the Supreme court. The court was not convinced that the GLA's request is to be denied, although the arguments for this action were extremely strong (i.e., the legal interpretation being dubious and the postponing having a strong chilling effect). But, in general, the court does not like to rule against the GLA. The court's decision was not articulated; it only referred to two points raised by the GLA and ignored the opposing arguments (sketched above).

• On May 2nd, OG got an invitation to appear in a hearing at the ministry of education to explain his political views. This invitation was taken back by the legal advisers of the ministry, and replaced (on May 4th) by a request to answer the same contents in writing. Upon OG's refusal to be examined on his political views, the formulation is revised, and OG re-iterated the position already stated in court (on April 8th).
• On the evening of May 9th, the GLA asked for a 10-day extension, claiming that he has received the minister's answer only at noon. The court granted this extension.
  May 11th: First day of a military operation (by IDF) that consists of heavy bombing of Gaza.
• On May 19th, the GLA asked for a 30-day extension (till June 20th), citing the military operation, which seemed to be on the way to being terminated within a day or two. The court granted this extension.
  Cease fire in the Gaza front starting 2am May 21st.
• On June 10th, a few days before being replaced, the education minister formally notified the GLA that he has decided negatively.
  A new government was sworn in on June 13th, after being announced on June 3rd.
• On June 17th, a few days after the education minister was replaced, the GLA asks for a 21-day extension (till July 11th), in order to allow the new minister to study the issue.
  On July 5th it is leaked that the new minister views the decision of the former minister as binding.
• July 22nd: After an additional 11-day postponement, justified by a 3-day strike of the state's lawyers, the GLA notified the court that the former minister's decision is unreasonable and unjustified from a legal point of view, and that the appeal should be accepted (i.e., the court should instruct the approval of committee's decision). He also introduced a new doctrine by which calling for boycott of IL (including boycott of the settlements) may, under extreme circumstances, justify refusal to grant the IL Prize.
• Aug 12th: The (three judges of the) court unanimously voids the decision of the former minister, and ask the new minister to take a new decision based on the principles outlined in the ruling. A dissenting opinion says that the appeal is to be accepted (i.e., no need to ask the new minister to decide).
• On Nov 18th, after avoiding action for three months, the new education minister decided negatively. Her decision refers to the petition to EU (see April 6th).
• On Nov 24th, the award committee appeals to the supreme court, again; preliminary responses were scheduled to Dec 15th.
• On Dec 27th, after a couple of postponements, the GLA re-iterated the opinion he submitted on July 22nd. On Jan 3rd 2022, OG submitted his own response, which challenges the new doctrine introduced by the GLA on July 22nd.
• On March 29th 2022, following a hearing on Feb 24th, the court decided to accept the appeal and instructed the minister to approve the committee's recommendation.
• On April 11th 2022, the award was handed to OG by the minister's adviser for the Israel Prize, since the minister herself refused to do it. [See a few photos]

Related material (in Hebrew unless stated differently)

• Main documentation:
  • OG's diary of the first twenty hours of the affair.
  • At the Weizmann Institute of Science.
    • An alternative Israel Prize Award Ceremony, Weizmann Institute of Science, April 11th 2021:
      David Harel's speech, Oded Goldreich's speech [English translation], and a photo.
      A petition by more than 200 Weizmann scientists, 11.4.21.
    • A decision of the scientific council of the Weizmann Institute of Science, 13.4.21.
  • At the parliament (Knesset):
    • Two short MK speeches (12.4.21): MK Mossi Raz and MK Ofer Cassif.
    • A meeting with a dozen MKs (19.4.21): OG's speech [English translation], and a few photos.
  • Other published supporting statements, March-November 2021.
  • At the Supreme Court (30.3.21, 8.4.21, 22.7.21, 12.8.21):
    • The committee's appeal (and its annexes) and OG's response.
    • The GLA's provisional response (of Apr 2nd), the court's decision of Apr 2nd, and the GLA's actual response (of Apr 7th),
    • The protocol of the hearing (Apr 8th), which is inaccurate (as usual), and the court's decision of Apr 8th.
    • The GLA's updated statement (July 22th),
    • The court's decision of Aug 12th [see summary by the court].
  • Returning to the Supreme Court (24.11.21, 27.12.21, 3.1.22, 24.2.22, 29.3.22):
    • The committee's appeal (and its annexes).
    • The GLA's response (27.12.21) and OG's response (3.1.22).
    • The protocol of the hearing (Feb 24th), which is inaccurate (as usual), and the court's decision (29.3.22).
  • The Israel Prize Award Ceremony held in the Ministry of Education, on April 11th 2022:
    David Felber's speech, Oded Goldreich's speech, and a few photos.
    Information about OG to be posted on the IL Prize webpage of the Ministry of Education.
  • OG's brief essay on the affair, Haaretz, April 13th 2022. [English version]
  • OG's 22-page report of the entire affair, April 2022.
  • Additional comments (incl answers to FAQ), OG, May 2022.

• Opinions by legal scholars:
  • Shachar Ben-Meir, The Israeli Award for Cowardice, The Hottest Place in Hell, April 8th 2021.
  • Adam Shinar, The state does not belong to the government, Haaretz, April 11th 2021.
  • Mordechai Kremnitzer, Israel Prize or a prize of the Israeli Government?, IDI, April 11th 2021.
  • A few short opinions posted on the Academia-IL net, April 9-11, 2021.
  • Talia Sasson, Goldreich no, but Netanyaho yes?, Haaretz, April 12th 2021.
  • Yuval Yoaz, Bagatz refrains from clashing with the government, Times of Israel, April 12th 2021.
  • Mordechai Kremnitzer, The chilling effect of Bagatz's majority ruling regarding the Israel Prize, Haaretz, August 13th 2021.
  • Yuval Yoaz, Bagatz instructs the minister to choose from among one possibility, Times of Israel, August 15th 2021.
  • Mordechai Kremnitzer, A partial victory, Haaretz, March 30th 2022.
• Additional opinions:
  • B. Michael, Goldreich's crimes, Haaretz, April 13th 2021.
  • Aaron Ciechanover, The Israel Prize, the minister, and the supreme court, Haaretz, April 13th 2021.
  • Zehava Galon, A History Lesson for the Minister of Education, Haaretz, May 9th 2021.
  • Iris Leal, The Goldreich Affair vs the Ben and Jerry's Fuss, Haaretz, July 25th 2021.
  • Aaron Ciechanover, A death blow to the Israel Prize, Haaretz, August 15th 2021.
  • Yasmin Levi, Shasha-Biton's Failure and the Israel Prize, Haaretz, November 22nd 2021.
  • Moshe Ben-Atar, The Israel Prize for Political Righteousness, Haaretz, November 24th 2021.
  • Yechiam Weitz, The minister's role is only to nominate the Prize committee, Haaretz, November 27th 2021.
  • Gershom Gorenberg, Israel cancels a prize to a mathematician and dishonors itself, Washington Post, November 28th 2021.
  • Dmitry Shumsky, The democratic mask falls off the Aparheid regime, Haaretz, December 4th 2021.
  • Aaron Ciechanover, Not in the Museum and not in Israel Prize, Haaretz, December 30th 2021.
  • Iris Leal, Who is in the Herd, Haaretz, March 27th 2022.
  • Moran Sharir, A test to the "government of change", Haaretz, March 29th 2022.
  • Itai Mack, A Pyrrhic Victory or worse?, Haaretz, April 13th 2022.
  • Yasmin Levi, When an education minister adopts a hunter mentality, Haaretz, April 14th 2022.

• Some news reports
  • The first report, N12, March 10th 2021.
  • Or Kashti's 1st report, Haaretz, March 30th 2021.
  • Or Kashti's 2nd report, Haaretz, April 8th 2021. [brief review]
  • Haaretz's 1st editorial, April 8th 2021. [English version]
  • Haaretz's 2nd editorial, April 9th 2021.
  • Or Kashti's 3rd report, Haaretz, April 11th 2021. [English version]
  • A report, Dvar, April 13th 2021.
  • Haaretz's 3rd editorial, April 13th 2021.
  • Haaretz's 4th editorial, April 14th 2021. [English version]
  • Allison Kaplan Sommer and Judy Maltz report in Haaretz's English edition, April 14th 2021.
  • Isabel Kershner's report, NYTimes, April 14th 2021.
  • Or Kashti's 4th report, Haaretz, April 15th 2021.
  • Or Kashti's 5th report, Haaretz, April 24th 2021.
  • Or Kashti's 6th report, Haaretz, April 27th 2021.
  • Or Kashti's 7th report, Haaretz, May 6th 2021. [English version] [brief review]
  • Haaretz's 5th editorial, May 7th 2021. [English version]
  • Or Kashti's 8th report, Haaretz, June 11th 2021.
  • Haaretz's 6th editorial, June 13th 2021.
  • A scoop, Kan, July 5th 2021.
  • Haaretz's 7th editorial, July 6th 2021. [English version]
  • Haaretz's 9th report, July 22nd 2021.
  • Or Kashti's 10th report, Haaretz, August 12th 2021.
  • Haaretz's 8th editorial, August 13th 2021. [English version and a carricature]
  • Haaretz's 11th report, November 18th 2021.
  • Haaretz's 9th editorial, November 19th, 2021. [English version]
  • Haaretz's 12th report, November 24th 2021.
  • Haaretz's 13th report, December 27th 2021.
  • Haaretz's 14th report, March 29th 2022. [brief review + opinion]
  • Haaretz's 10th editorial, March 30th 2022. [a carricature]
  • Another (slightly inaccurate) scoop, Kan, April 4th 2022. [See also 2 and 3]
  • Haaretz's 16th report, April 10th 2022.
  • Haaretz's 17th report, April 11th 2022. [English version]
  • Haaretz's 11th editorial, April 12th 2022. [English version] [a carricature]
  • A report at Ynet, April 12th 2022.
  • Haaretz's 18th report, April 13th 2022. [English version]
  • Another report at Ynet, April 13th 2022.

• Epilogue
  • The incident was used in the propaganda of the promoters of the 2023 judical reform. Their argument was circular: Since they believe that the government should have the power to veto the bestowing of the IL prize, they present the supreme court decision as illegitimate.
  • Turning the IL prize into a farce, Haaretz editorial, 18 February 2024. (+ the true story behind the farce?, 24-Feb-2024)

NOTE: The archive contains only documents and articles (published between 10-Mar-21 and 13-Apr-22) that I found useful for myself. In particular, I only followed publications in Haaretz and read some other articles that were referred to me by friends. In addition, I vividly recall deciding not to include two hostile opinions by legal scholars, since one was avoiding the facts and the other was avoiding the law. Of course, there were many more hostile opinions, mostly published at other news outlets, raising arguments that I addressed in Section 3.3 of my report and in my additional comments.