Weinstein's request comes after Netanyahu was severely criticized for rejecting Professors Avner Holtzman and Ariel Hirschfeld for the Literature Prize panel and filmmaker Chaim Sharir for the judge’s panel for the Israel Prize in Film.
In the wake of Netanyahu's decision, six authors and academics resigned from the Literature panel, as they decried “the clear politicization of the prize,” casting doubt on whether the prize would be awarded this year.