A video of opposition lawmakers walking out of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is being shared with a false claim that they boycotted Modi's visit to Israel.
BOOM found that the video shows opposition leaders boycotting the speech of Israeli Parliament Speaker Amir Ohana and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid, along with other leaders, later returned to the Knesset and welcomed Modi, clarifying that the protest was related to Ohana’s decision to not invite Supreme Court President Isaac Amit to the special session.
The claim is viral in the backdrop of Modi’s state visit to Israel on February 25 to 26.
The Claim
A user on X shared the video with the caption, "The entire opposition leaders of Israel left the parliament just before Modi was about to speak by saying, "WE HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS MAN"!"
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What We Found: Video Shows Opposition Protest Against Israel PM
1. Israel’s Opposition Leader Says Protest Not Against PM Modi: We first ran a keyword search using the phrase “opposition walk out Israel” and found a February 25, 2026, report by Israeli news outlet The Times of Israel regarding the incident. The report stated that the opposition protested the exclusion of Israeli Supreme Court President Isaac Amit. However, they returned later in the evening of February 25, 2026, to attend Modi’s speech, with Yair Lapid, leader of opposition, welcoming him and clarifying that the protest was not related to the Indian prime minister.
The live stream of the February 25, 2026 event on Israel Government Press Office’s YouTube channel shows opposition lawmakers leaving around the 28:05-minute mark, skipping speeches by Israeli Parliament Speaker Amir Ohana and Netanyahu. They however returned after Netanyahu’s speech ended at the 1:04:27 mark. Shortly after, at 1:04:56, Lapid approached Modi, shook hands with him, clarified that the protest “had nothing to do with you,” and welcomed him to the country.
2. Why Oppositions in Israel Staged the Protest: The Times of Israel reported on February 25, 2026, that several opposition parties announced they would not attend Netanyahu’s address; the decision came in response to Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana’s move not to invite Supreme Court President Isaac Amit to the evening session during Modi’s visit.
The report quoted statements from the opposition parties Yesh Atid and Yisrael Beytenu, which said, “In light of Amir Ohana’s disgraceful decision to boycott Supreme Court President Justice Amit and not invite him to the ceremonial meeting with the prime minister of India, contrary to all accepted procedure, it was decided to uphold the decision to leave the plenary session in order not to be partners in the boycott.” The article further noted that the parties clarified they would return for the Indian prime minister’s speech to respect the alliance between the two countries and express their appreciation for PM Modi’s support for Israel.
