The right-wing watchdog group Im Tirtzu praised the High Court of Justice on Thursday after it gave a green light to a decision to deny Professor Oded Goldreich of the Israel Prize he was to receive later this month.
"Due to new evidence of Goldreich's support for boycotts that was exposed this week by Im Tirtzu, the court ruled that Goldreich cannot receive the prize this year," the organization said in a statement. "Im Tirtzu exposed that Goldreich was among the 522 academics from Israel and abroad who signed a petition on March 23 calling for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions in Judea and Samaria," it further claimed.
The Israel Prize is given each year on Independence Day, in a variety of fields. Goldreich was to receive the Israel Prize for Mathematics and Computer Science in recongition of his work at the Weizmann Institute of Science.
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Education Minister Yoav Gallant's decision to strip Goldreich of the honor had been challenged by the members of the prize committee, who petitioned the court. The court ruled that since Gallant had only learned of the professor's past activity so close to the award ceremony next Thursday, he can't be forced to accept the committee's recommendation. The justices also told the minister that if he ultimately concludes that the information does not merit him being denied the prize, he should award him the honor in 2022.
"The State of Israel should not award those who slander it and Goldreich should not be permitted to receive the prize," added Im Tirtzu.
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