Israeli government fires antisemitism envoy who criticised judicial overhaul

Israel’s Special Envoy for Combatting Antisemitism and the Delegitimisation of Israel was fired by the government on Sunday. 

Noa Tishby said it was with “sadness and disappointment” that she could confirm her dismissal by the government as antisemitism envoy.

Tishby had previously accused the government’s judicial overhaul of “going too far”, accusing it of wanting to take “too much power” and “overrule a supreme court decision by a basic majority.”

“It is not possible for me to know if their decision was driven by my publicly stated concerns about this government’s ‘judicial reform policy’,” Tishby said.

“But given the reality that antisemitism continues its dangerous rise globally, and the threat to Israel’s existence through delegitimisation policies has not slowed, it is difficult to come to any other reasonable conclusion,” she added.

Tishby, who was appointed at antisemitism envoy by then Foreign Minister Yair Lapid in April 2022, said she took on the role “because the threats to Jews around the world is as significant today as any other point since the Holocaust.”

In her letter published on Twitter on Sunday, Tishby said her role as envoy “does not mean I must suppress my views.”

“My decision to speak out was not taken lightly. I voiced concerns because I believe absolutely in the importance of an independent judiciary in safeguarding the democratic system,” Tishby said.

The Israeli actress added that an “open and honest discussion with those in government is at the core of Israel’s long-term well-being and our status as  the region’s single consistent democracy.”

Foreign Ministry’s Deputy Director-General for Public Diplomacy Emmanuel Nahshon sent Tishby a letter in which he said: “In light of existing circumstances the ministry has no intention of renewing the (contract).”