Herzog calls Nobel Peace Prize winner choice affront to peace-loving people at Medal of Honor award

President Isaac Herzog condemned the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to South African judge Navi Pillay, calling it an affront to peace-loving people and a cynical decision celebrating moral erosion. He spoke while awarding the Presidential Medal of Honor to Israel Bonds, praising the organization for raising $1 billion after October 7 and $8.5 billion since.

President Isaac Herzog used a Medal of Honor ceremony to sharply criticize the Nobel Peace Prize committee's decision to award the 2026 prize to South African judge Navi Pillay. Herzog called the choice an "affront to any life-affirming, peace-loving people" and a "cynical decision which celebrates a shameful display of moral erosion," accusing Pillay of being a leading proponent of the "genocide lie." The remarks came as Herzog awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor to Israel Bonds, an organization he praised for raising $1 billion in the first month after the October 7 massacre and another $8.5 billion since. He noted that over 75 years, more than $58 billion in Israel bonds have been purchased worldwide. Herzog also addressed a Hezbollah bomb that killed a teenager and injured dozens earlier that day, calling it a "grave and heartbreaking tragedy." Israel Bonds leaders Dani Naveh and Dr. Andrew M. Hutter accepted the medal, emphasizing the organization's role as a symbol of support for Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu separately condemned the Nobel decision, calling Pillay a "bigot" and the committee "misguided." The article frames the Nobel decision as a moral failure while presenting Israel Bonds as a symbol of international trust in Israel.