The Supreme Court rejected Sept. 5 a petition against the expulsion of children of migrant workers, most from the Philippines, born in Israel. On the backdrop of statements made by several right-wing politicians on the issue, one might wonder whether right-wing voters popped open a bottle of Champagne to celebrate the ruling. The justices rejected the appellants’ argument that Israeli law does not allow a transitional, caretaker government to change official policy, but the government argued there had not been any such change.
On the one hand, the nationalists are never happier than when the leftist “knee-jerk liberals” are defeated. In this case, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Interior Minister Aryeh Deri can take credit for yet another victory in the battle against the “demographic threat” facing the Jewish state. On the other hand, the ruling robbed them of an excellent opportunity to attack the judiciary for getting in the government’s way and conducting “a terror attack against democracy,” as Netanyahu has taken to accusing in recent months.
