Justice Minister Yariv Levin on Tuesday sharply criticized the High Court of Justice, accusing the justices of threatening to forcibly suppress those demanding justice, akin to dictators who have lost public trust. Levin juxtaposed former Supreme Court President Aharon Barak's quote about the judiciary having "neither sword nor purse" with the current court's warning that officials defying rulings could lose personal immunity, calling the gap evidence of the court's decline.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin released a scathing statement Tuesday morning, describing the High Court's warning to government officials — that defying court rulings could trigger personal liability — as evidence of a slide into authoritarianism.
Levin contrasted a quote by former Supreme Court President Aharon Barak — that judges have "neither sword nor purse" but only public trust — with the current bench's threat against non-compliance, calling the gap a measure of the court's moral decline. "Like the last of the dictators who lost public trust, they are threatening to suppress by force those who demand justice," Levin wrote. "That will not succeed."
The minister's statement escalates an already tense confrontation between the executive and the judiciary. As The Zioneer reported earlier Tuesday, the High Court issued a ruling stating that an elected official who refuses to comply with a court ruling can have parliamentary immunity removed, and that civil servants defying court orders may face personal tort liability. The government itself had earlier demanded that justices rule strictly according to law and warned them of personal lawsuits for defiance.
Levin's attack follows a broader political clash over judicial authority, with five former Supreme Court presidents, including Barak, issuing a joint warning in recent weeks that defying the court is the "last nail in democracy's coffin." No official response from the court or the judiciary has been issued to Levin's remarks.
4 developments
- DevelopingJustice Minister Levin attacks Supreme Court as 'enabling' attorney general's actions
- StrongLevin responds to High Court warning: judges must do soul-searching, respect the law
- StrongSmotrich, Karai, Levin condemn High Court warning as 'extortion', 'yoke', call for judicial soul-searching
- DevelopingLevin slams High Court President Amit in new escalation
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