Disrespect for judicial rulings erodes Israeli democracy
By ignoring Supreme Court rulings that are incompatible with their populist messages, Israeli politicians not only offend the rule of law, they undermine the democratic foundations of the state.
Israeli Supreme Court Justice Hanan Meltzer reprimanded the state March 19 over its continued evasion of the Supreme Court’s instructions to ease overcrowding in the nation’s prisons, saying, “Our verdict was not a recommendation.” His remark reflects the serious undermining of Israeli democracy by disrespect for judicial rulings.
Law-abiding democratic countries uphold the cardinal and obvious principle of respecting and executing the rulings of the courts. Apparently, this is not the case in a state whose prime minister constantly lambasts law enforcement authorities. And former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who only recently exchanged his prison garb for civvies, heaps scorn in a new memoir on judges, senior prosecutors and a former state comptroller.
