Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef was chosen to win the Israel Prize for Torah literature. Yosef caused a stir last week when he said that "if the ultra-Orthodox are forced to enlist, we will all flee abroad" The Rabbi's Office responded to the publication and wrote that "This is not the time nor The hour." They claimed that if the rabbi had known about his submission as a candidate for the prize - he would have worked to prevent it.
There was also a storm surrounding the cancellation itself, after claims were made that the award was canceled following the winning of Mellanox founder Eyal Waldman.