The Unthinkable Is Unfolding in Israel’s Supreme Court — A Line Has Been Crossed
Respect for the judiciary is neither a courtesy nor ceremonial — it is constitutional!
In recent weeks, Israel has witnessed scenes inside its Supreme Court that would once have been unimaginable. Ministers and legislators have acted with open contempt toward the judiciary — rejecting its authority, insulting its personnel, and displaying conduct that undermines the dignity of the legal system. These incidents are not isolated lapses. They reflect a deliberate effort by some in government and certain lawmakers to delegitimize the judiciary from within.
This is not normal. It is not politics. It is the calculated degradation of the rule of law — a campaign designed to weaken, humiliate, and ultimately strip the judiciary of its constitutional standing.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin has led this escalation. For months, he refused to convene the Judicial Selection Committee to appoint a new Supreme Court President — a refusal the High Court ruled unlawful (Times of Israel).
When Justice Yitzhak Amit was eventually selected as President, Levin escalated further. He refused to sign or issue the official state announcement of Amit’s appointment — an unprecedented breach of ministerial protocol (Jerusalem Post). He then publicly declared that he does not recognize Amit’s legitimacy, calling the appointment process “illegal” (i24NEWS).
And in April 2025, at a formal judicial ceremony, Levin delivered remarks while refusing even to acknowledge the Supreme Court President standing beside him — an intentional and humiliating snub unprecedented in Israel’s legal history (Times of Israel).
But ministers are not acting alone. During a recent hearing, MK Tally Gotliv repeatedly disrupted the court, refused judicial instructions, and was forcibly removed. As she was escorted out, she called a court guard “an animal” and compared him to the “Judenräte” — an appalling and historically offensive insult reported by multiple outlets (Times of Israel; Ynet).
This was not dissent. It was an assault on the dignity of the Court itself.
These scenes reflect a deeper pattern: when legal constraints interfere with political ambitions, some officials respond not with argument but with delegitimization. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara faces similar attacks whenever her legal conclusions are inconvenient. Instead of responding to her reasoning, certain ministers prefer to undermine her legitimacy.
This is not reform. This is demolition — executed one insult, one disruption, and one calculated act of non-recognition at a time.
The Supreme Court has no battalions, no political machine, no enforcement arm. Its authority rests entirely on legitimacy — on the willingness of leaders and citizens to treat its rulings as binding. When elected officials normalize contempt for the judiciary, they teach the public that the Court is optional, political, or disposable.
Once that belief takes hold, the rule of law begins to collapse from within.
Israel can debate constitutional structure and judicial philosophy. But no democracy can survive when its leaders wage war on its highest court, refuse to acknowledge its president, or turn judicial proceedings into political theatre.
These actions are not breaches of etiquette. They are assaults on the constitutional order itself.
A line has been crossed — visibly, intentionally, repeatedly. And the unthinkable is no longer unfolding quietly. It is accelerating!
