Israel's highest court in spotlight as right celebrates 50 years of settlement
Instead of clarifying that they are against the government’s occupation policy, Israeli centrist and leftist politicians apologized for avoiding the ceremony celebrating the settlement enterprise.
![Israeli security forces stand guard during a demonstration organized by Peace Now in the Gush Etzion settlement block on September 27, 2017, against the 50th anniversary of the creation of the first Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights.
Israel's government hosted a celebration of 50 years of Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights, angering the Palestinians and triggering a row with the supreme court. / AFP PHOTO / Thomas COEX / The erroneous mention[s] appear](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_large/public/almpics/2017/09/GettyImages-854748754.jpg/GettyImages-854748754.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=AvQM-n_7 "AFP_SU6NU")
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Miriam Naor did the right thing when she decided to cancel Justice Neal Hendel’s participation at the jubilee celebration marking the liberation of Judea, Samaria, the Jordan Valley and the Golan Heights, which took place in the Etzion settlement bloc on Sept. 27.
Naor demonstrated courage and stately manner when she refused to give in to political pressures by the right to overturn her decision. She stood firm even when pressured by Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, who accused her of “damaging the official nature of the event.” In fact, Naor decided to cancel Hendel’s participation once she realized that the event was not official in character, as proclaimed by its organizers, but a mere political celebration of the right-wing camp. Indeed, statements by Education Minister Naftali Bennett at the event for annexing West bank territories confirmed this impression.
Before making her decision, Naor consulted with the person expected to replace her next month as the court’s president, Associate Justice Esther Hayut. They both knew that canceling the Supreme Court's participation would lead to attacks on Israel's highest judicial body from the right and accusations that the court identified with the left. Nevertheless, Naor did the right thing.
As one of the harshest critics of the Supreme Court in the past few years, Tourism Minister Yariv Levin was quick to lash out at the justices. He said, "If anyone had any doubt, it was made perfectly clear yet again today that the justices of the Supreme Court bring a personal, left-wing political agenda into the courtroom."
