Eil Waldman in the Science Committee of the Knesset I would like to investigate in depth whether there was improper interference that led to the cancellation of the Israel Awards

"The truth is that my candidacy was not liked by the honorable minister and people close to the prime minister and maybe even the prime minister himself because I am known as an opponent of him and the regime revolution he tried to bring about," said Waldman, who is also a bereaved father after his daughter and her partner were murdered on October 7

Yesterday, the Science and Technology Committee of the Knesset, chaired by MK Ayman Odeh, held a special meeting following the decision to cancel the awarding of the traditional Israel awards this year and to settle for awards for bravery in the Iron Swords War.

As is well known, shortly after the announcement last week, the journalist Ben Caspit revealed that the decision was made because of Eyal Waldman's winning the Israel Prize for Entrepreneurship. As I recall, Waldman was the initiator of several high-tech companies, including Galileo, and the most prominent is Mellanox, which was sold in 2019 to Nvidia Global for $7 billion. The company even expanded its operations in Israel and the products developed here are at the core of Nvidia's artificial intelligence chips.

Here are the main points of his remarks at the Knesset's science conference

"First of all, I would like to thank the Knesset Committee for Science and Technology and its chairman for the invitation to come and speak before the committee. I would like to convey at the outset that I did not come to the discussion to explain why I deserve to receive the Israel Prize for Entrepreneurship, I did not ask for the prize and I am not chasing honors. I am here because I cannot To allow myself and all those who are now fighting in Gaza, or in the north, to remain silent in the face of improper conduct and legal doubt regarding the sweeping decision and movement of the Minister of Education to cancel the Israel awards for this year. Except in the new categories of mutual guarantee and civil bee. I claim that the decision to cancel all the awards and not only the award from Eyal Waldman was due to the fact that the committee was appointed for the award of the Israel award in the field of entrepreneurship to recommend The recommendation or the position of recommending me as a prize winner The Minister of Education's claim that there is no place to award Israel prizes during wartime, this is an invention designed to hide the The truth from the public."

"The truth is that my candidacy was not liked by the Honorable Minister and those close to the Prime Minister and perhaps even the Prime Minister himself because I am known to be an opponent of him and the regime revolution he tried to bring about. The claim that there is no place to award the awards due to the war is a ridiculous invention of recent times. The war that broke out did not prevent committees from The awards in all categories to hold discussions and formulate their recommendations. The decision of the minister to cancel the awarding of the awards this year was only made due The intention of the entrepreneurship committee is to recommend me as a prize winner. The claim that prizes are not awarded in time of war is not only a preposterous claim, but the civilian areas must be strengthened entrepreneurship, science and culture."

"Families sacrifice what is dearest to them, and the best of our children lose their lives to protect and preserve civil society, a country where culture, science and entrepreneurship are being abolished with the help of a dead hand. A democratic country, precisely in these terrible times, civil society must be strengthened. Unfortunately, the current government is constantly undermining the foundations of society And democracy. If there was truth in the minister's claim, it would be possible to expect the cancellation of all Independence Day ceremonies It is learned from the media that there is an intention to hold a beacon ceremony and to bring the best of Israel's artists to it. There is no intention to cancel these ceremonies and the Israel Prize ceremonies."

I claim that the decision to cancel the awarding of the awards this year was due to the fact that the minister knew that he could not disqualify only my classes and therefore canceled all the awards this year. It's a ridiculously ridiculous thing like no other. I claim that the minister did not act on his own accord but according to instructions from above, according to what was given to me, the person who interfered with the decision to disqualify my candidacy is one Mr. Shlomi Vogel, a well-known businessman who is close to the Prime Minister and his wife and after learning of the intention of the candidacy. After the committee's decision on my candidacy, Fogel exerted heavy pressure on one of the committee members to recommend another candidate from the right sector and to back out of the intention to recommend me, only after the committee withstood the almost impossible pressures placed on it and stuck to the decision to recommend me. It was not left to the Minister of Education. In consultation with other parties, there is no choice but to cancel all awards. As mentioned, because it was not in his power to disqualify only me."

"I am before you as a concerned citizen, if this is how the state's institutions behave, there is great doubt as to how they behave, do they conduct themselves in matters critical to its existence or the peace of its citizens? And on the issue of the day after, the state's captains are guided by foreign and personal considerations. I expect the honorable Knesset committee not to let go of the issue? I expect the members of the committee to contact the legal adviser to the government Opening an investigation regarding the decision to cancel the Israel Awards and what preceded it. And to investigate who were all the factors that caused the Minister of Education to make his wrong decision. It is appropriate that this investigation reach the Prime Minister, And the closest to him, as soon as the legal advisor decides that there is a place to investigate the case, I will make myself available to her, the matter is very important to me because this is my homeland, for which I fought in all the decrees."

"I speak on behalf of Beit Daniel and her partner Noam (who were murdered at the Nuva party on October 7, AB) who I had as the son of my uncle Giora Yeshinsky, who was killed in 71 in a helicopter returning from an electronic warfare activity in Egypt on behalf of close friends. Good to our sons and daughters and the martyrs of Israel's systems who were killed in various operations and activities and in the name of the abductees who are still being held and going through hell every second in Gaza, some of whom are related to me in various ways and Their release should not be focused on the Israel Award. I hope that the committee will continue to investigate the issue with the help of the legal advisor to the government and that it will not be conducted during the process. What was Mr. Vogel's role in the process and on whose behalf did he act? I want to congratulate and apologize in front of all the winners of the Israel Prize, who were chosen as the Minister of Education and Mr. Shulehm. They are so deserving of this year The award is very respectable, which has been awarded for 71 years and has never been cancelled, even war kicks have been cancelled. Thank you.

On behalf of Shlomi Fogel, one of the owners of the Ampa Group, Israel Shipping Industries and the Gold Bond Group, a response was given: Eyal Waldman is one of Israel's high-tech leaders and he definitely deserves to receive the Israel Award. Vogel has nothing to do with the decision to cancel the award.

Later we will publish the proposal of the President of the National Academy of Sciences, Prof. David Harel, to transfer the field of Israel Awards jointly to the President of the State and the Academy of Sciences.