Political attacks on Supreme Court chief cross red line, over 100 retired judges warn
The warnings followed remarks made by Religious Zionist Party chairman and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who referred to Amit as a ‘violent, predatory megalomaniac who steals Israeli democracy.’
Two non-political professional groups weighed in this week against what they described as escalating violent rhetoric directed at Supreme Court President Justice Isaac Amit: a coalition of law faculty deans from universities and colleges across Israel, and more than 100 retired judges and former court presidents.
The interventions followed remarks made on Monday by Religious Zionist Party chairman and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who during a faction meeting referred to Amit as a “violent, predatory megalomaniac who steals Israeli democracy,” and warned that “the result will be that we will crush him.”
The comments triggered a political and institutional backlash. Opposition lawmakers and senior figures in the judiciary condemned the remarks as crossing a red line, while Justice Minister Yariv Levin (Likud) and Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi (Likud) publicly expressed support for the sentiments.
A day later, Amit issued a rare public letter to members of the judiciary, denouncing what he described as violent and inciting rhetoric directed at him and at the judicial system, and stressing that the courts would not be deterred from fulfilling their role in a democratic state.
On Wednesday as well, deans of law faculties and schools across Israel released a joint statement expressing full support for Amit and sharply condemning Smotrich’s remarks, warning that they crossed a “dangerous moral line.”
FINANCE MINISTER Bezalel Smotrich addresses a parliamentary faction meeting of his Religious Zionist Party in the Knesset on Monday. ‘His recent behavior displayed a face that makes me ashamed to be a religious Zionist,’ the writer charges. (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
The academics said political disagreement can never justify personal delegitimization, verbal violence, or insinuations of physical harm toward judges, particularly the head of the judicial system. While criticism of court rulings is legitimate and essential in a democracy, they said, it becomes unacceptable when it turns into incitement.
Incitement against Supreme Court undermining democracy
Describing the Supreme Court as a cornerstone of the rule of law and Israeli democracy, the deans cautioned that such rhetoric – especially amid deep social polarization – undermines the democratic fabric, casts the judiciary as an enemy of a particular political camp, and endangers the safety of judges. They called on public officials to maintain respectful discourse and oppose all forms of incitement and violence.
On Thursday, dozens of retired judges and former court presidents from across Israel’s judicial system issued a separate public call expressing “deep concern” over what they described as an ongoing campaign of incitement, verbal violence, and humiliation directed at Amit and the judiciary as a whole. The signatories warned that recent remarks by a government minister crossed a red line by implying incitement to physical violence.
The retired judges – more than 100 in total, including former Supreme Court presidents and justices – said the attacks by elected officials and cabinet ministers have become routine and pose an immediate threat to the democratic foundations of the state, undermining public trust in the courts and the independence of judicial review.
Warning that without a properly functioning judicial system Israel risks sliding into “arbitrary and unrestrained rule of power,” they called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to act immediately to halt the attacks, and urged law enforcement authorities to ensure the personal safety of Amit and all members of the judiciary.
