The debate about the animal testing at the Weizmann Institute and how to supervise vivisection in general stood at the center of the Animal Rights Day events, which took place on January 1, 2008. The debate was pursued jointly by the Knesset Education Committee and Science Committee. At mid-day, the Let the Animals Live Association held a protest by the Knesset, calling for the release of the monkeys held at the Weizmann Institute. Later Knesset members from all the factions signed a  Animal Rights Declaration, and several parliamentarians addressed the Knesset plenum regarding the issues at stake. Unhappily, there was no plenary vote on important bills that would have benefited animals, because the ministerial Legislative Committee postponed its discussion of the proposals.

At the joint Education-Science Committee, Knesset member Benny Eilon (Science) and Knesset member Rabbi Michael Melchior (Education) expressed concern at the information exposed by the covert investigation conducted by Let the Animals Live about the inhumane experiments done on monkeys and cats at Weizmann. They called for re-examination of the way the law regarding supervision of animal experimentation is enforced.

Knesset members Zevulun Orlev, Dov Khenin, Yuval Hasson, Gideon Sa'ar, and Eitan Cabel proposed amending the law to change the composition of the council that oversees vivisection by adding three members of animal rights organizations, replacing the council chairman with a judge, and adding an external veterinarian to internal committees at the institutes that carry out animal experimentation.

Knesset members Arie Eldad and Jamal Zahalka opposed amendment to the law, arguing that the law is enforced properly, and that the scientists should be trusted to carry out their work appropriately and within the confines of the law. Amendment would impair academic freedom, they argued, and hold back scientific progress in Israel.

The president of Weizmann Institute, Prof. Daniel Zajfman, announced that the experiments exposed at the institute were being done in compliance with approvals and the law. He said that Weizmann Institute's experiments on animals were done at the highest standards in Israel. The chairman of the Animal Experimentation Council, said that after the experiments were exposed, the council sent a team to inspect the experiments being done at Weizmann, which concluded that the tests were being done properly.

Attorney Ruven Ladianski, general manager and legal counsel of Let the Animals Live, also spoke at the Knesset debate, saying, "An attempt is being made here by the experimenters to portray us, representatives of the organizations, as a group of lunatics that opposes saving human life, which is not the case. There is no research, be it the most important, that justifies the harsh living conditions of the monkeys – isolated, in small cages, in a dark room with no windows, in a constant state of thirst and strapped down in chairs without ability to move for hours on end."

The charged, stormy debate ended with a resolution that two subjects – supervision over animal experimentation and the experiments on monkeys at Weizmann Institute would be inspected, and discussed at a joint sub-committee of the Science and Education committees. The panel will be chaired by Benny Eilon.

After the joint Knesset Education Committee and Science Committee debate, a protest organized by Let the Animals Live took place at the Knesset, calling for the release of the monkeys held captive at Weizmann Institute. Dozens of demonstrators, including groups of students from the Open Democratic School in Jaffa, called on the Knesset members to reduce animal experimentation in general and to obtain the release of the monkeys from the Weizmann Institute in particular. Knesset member Dov Khenin (Hadash party) talked with the protestors, encouraging them and vowing to act vigorously to change the vivisection law, to reduce animal experimentation and to improve supervision.

Let the Animals Live thanks all the participants at the demonstration and all those who support the battle to rescue the monkeys from Weizmann Institute. The association calls on you to help call for action, and invites you to stay abreast of developments via the association website.

The experiments at the Weizmann Institute - http://www.letlive.org.il/english/article.php?id=173&PHPSESSID=8e9b7827858c4eb84e37dc37a5d40959

A call for action - http://www.letlive.org.il/english/article.php?id=175