The court\u2019s language also appeared to be a warning to members of the Second Authority council, among others, to abide by the June ruling that the panel can continue to function despite not having the requisite quorum, and to ignore the government\u2019s statement on the issue.<\/p>\n
Justice Minister Yariv Levin hit back, comparing the court to \u201cdictators\u201d while Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich accused the court of being a \u201cjudicial mafia\u201d that was using \u201cextortion\u201d to achieve its goals.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n The war between the judiciary and the government comes against the backdrop of the\u00a0 latter\u2019s four-year campaign to weaken the High Court and legal checks on government power, and to assert greater influence over the judiciary itself.<\/p>\n \t The High Court on Tuesday quoted directly from a 2007 ruling that warned that the country would descend into legal anarchy if the government or one of its agencies could decide not to abide by a court ruling.<\/p>\n \u201cThe obligation to comply with and respect court rulings is among the fundamental conditions upon which the rule of law in a democratic state is founded,\u201d the High Court quoted the 2007 ruling as saying.<\/p>\n \u201cWithout compliance with court rulings, the principle of the rule of law is undermined, and social order disintegrates. Everyone will do as they see fit, and the distance between the rule of law and anarchy is but a hair\u2019s breadth.\u201d<\/p>\n The court went on to say that its warning applied to the current circumstances and to \u201cthe actions of elected officials and public officials, who are all required to act in accordance with the law.\u201d<\/p>\n Actions by public officials in contravention of judicial decisions could mean that the personal immunity from civil damages suits usually enjoyed by such officials \u201cwill not apply,\u201d the court added, in an apparent warning to the Second Authority council members.<\/p>\n The court issued its statement as a \u201cdecision\u201d to make it part of the official case record and to formally express how it expects the existing law and prior court orders to be respected.<\/p>\n \t Levin hit back immediately. \u201cLike common dictators who have lost the public\u2019s trust, they are threatening to use force to suppress those who demand justice. They will not succeed,\u201d he wrote on Facebook.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is time for the justices to engage in some soul searching about how they reached such a low point. Respect for the law and respect for democratic decisions are obligations incumbent on every citizen \u2014 even if that citizen is a justice of the Supreme Court.\u201d<\/p>\n Smotrich called the court a \u201cjudicial mafia,\u201d and described its comments about public officials\u2019 immunity from civil suits as extortion.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is exactly what a threatening message from a protection racket sounds like\u2026 What\u2019s next? Envelopes with bullets sent to government ministries? A horse\u2019s head in their beds? Bottles of gasoline left on the cars of elected officials?\u201d<\/p>\n Karhi, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s Likud party, likewise denounced the court over its warning, declaring that \u201cthe clarion call heralding the government\u2019s and the people of Zion\u2019s freedom from the yoke of the High Court has already been sounded.\u201d<\/p>\n The case itself revolves around petitions accusing Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi of making political appointments to the council, in an effort to stymie the acquisition of Channel 13 by a group of high-tech entrepreneurs led by a prominent government critic, which the council must decide whether or not to approve.<\/p>\n In March, the Union of Journalists in Israel and the Movement for Quality Government in Israel petitioned the High Court against what it said were political appointments to the Second Authority council, and in May the court froze the activities of the council until a final decision on the issue.<\/p>\n Following the May ruling and the apparently dim view the High Court took of the new appointments, six members of the Second Authority council resigned one after the other \u2014 reportedly under heavy pressure from Karhi \u2014 taking the number of members down to nine out of 15, meaning that the council could no longer function due to the quorum requirement.<\/p>\n It also meant, specifically, that the council would not be able to make a decision on the Channel 13 acquisition.<\/p>\n In June, in the wake of that development, the High Court issued an especially sharp ruling against Karhi and the government, alleging that the resignations were designed to thwart the court\u2019s ability to rule on the issue. It therefore unfroze the council\u2019s operations and ruled that the apparently coordinated resignations would not count when bearing in mind the necessary quorum for the council\u2019s operations, meaning that the council could continue to carry out its functions and, in theory, deal with the Channel 13 acquisition.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident \u2013 ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded \u2013 I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.<\/p>\n There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.<\/p>\n As a Times of Israel reporter, I\u2019m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit\u2019s. But my colleagues and I can’t do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.<\/p>\n \u2014 Stav Levaton, military reporter<\/p>\n \t\t\t
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\n\t\tJustice Minister Yariv Levin at a press conference at the Knesset, May 10, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel\/Flash90)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/F260621YS25-1.jpg\")
\n\t\tSupreme Court President Isaac Amit and 10 justices at a High Court hearing on a law increasing political power over judicial appointments in Jerusalem, June 21, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel\/Flash90)<\/p>\n
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