Beinish: Democracy has paid heavy price for incitement
At judicial swearing in ceremony at President’s Residence, Supreme Court president discusses dangerous outcomes of public slander
“Unfortunately, on a daily and hourly basis various groups try to lower public trust in the judicial system, harm the judges’ honor and to raise incitement against them,” said Beinish in her speech.
“Israeli democracy has paid a high price for slander. All that remains is to hope that this path of incitement will not cause us to pay another heavy price and will not harm the core of the most important and splendid institution that Israeli democracy established in the 60 years since its inception,” she said.
The court president added, “Amongst other things, as part of the attempt to harm Israel’s judges there are quite a few tendentious attempts to present the judges as people who enjoy vacations and who don’t utilize their time to work. Don’t listen to these claims. They are based on misinformation and deception. The reality is very far from what is described.”
Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann, who has had various confrontations with Beinish throughout the past year, perhaps tried to diminish the tension. He gave his warm blessings to the newly-installed judges and said, “The position of judge is high and lofty and should remain this way.
“We have high expectations of you especially because the system’s position is not easy as a result of the load it carries. Judge Beinish and I have done everything in our power to change this.”
‘Political purity, a fundamental principle’
President Peres said in his speech that “the State of Israel’s judicial branch is currently standing before difficult challenges. Law enforcement elements are dealing with a difficult reality that is a hindrance to the country’s citizens.
“The media tends to deal with issues of governmental and political incorruptibility and there is no argument that public political purity is the most fundamental principle of a progressive nation,” said Peres
The ceremony was held a day after the murderous terror attack in Israel’s capital in which a terrorist from east Jerusalem crushed three people to death and injured dozens more.
Beinish referred to the attack saying, “Unfortunately, this ceremony occurred during a week in which difficult images of terrorism in the center of the city have reappeared and reminded us of the shadow that has been lingering over the heads of Israeli citizens for years; over the heads of the residents of the southwestern Negev and above those of Jerusalem’s residents time and again.”
“This is a reminder of under what conditions we manage to conduct our daily routines, preserve judicial norms and appropriate normative frameworks and simultaneously attempt to enforce laws protecting human life, while a cruel and harmful terror war hurts innocent civilians and knows no boundaries,” said Beinish.
