Barak and Katsav
Photo: Atta Awisat
Justice Barak says feared Katsav suicide
In revealing personal interview, retired Supreme Court President Aharon Barak says he comforted indicted president because he ‘felt sorry’ for him: ‘I was afraid he’d go and stick a bullet in his head’
Retired Supreme Court President Aharon Barak comforted President Moshe Katsav because, he said, he was afraid his colleague might resort to suicide.
In response to Ynet’s report of the support Barak offered the indicted president, Barak explained: “I hugged him because I felt sorry for him. I was afraid he’d go and stick a bullet in his head. When a friend is in trouble, I call him.”
Judge Barak hugs President Katsav (Photo: Tomerico)
The retired justice said it disturbed him that he could not act freely and openly with his friends and resented the necessity of formal conduct due to his position.
“I had friends in prison, people I’ve known since the army. I wanted to visit them. What’s wrong with that? But I didn’t, and it hurt that I didn’t. I felt I was betraying myself,” he noted.
In a three-hour interview for the Israel Bar Association journal, Barak discussed his childhood in the shadow of the Holocaust, his relations with the ultra-Orthodox, his personal faith and his ambitions for the future.
Since his retirement, Barak said, “All I want is to be left alone to write. I have an organized plan. I am very disciplined. There are 10 books I’m planning to write.”
