Retired Supreme Court Justice Aharon Barak sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his speech at the annual conference on public law and democracy: "Israeli state institutions are seen by him as a 'deep state' that must be fought against. Partisanship and separatism have replaced statehood and unity. The equality in bearing the burden of war has been replaced by a political deal that perpetuates the distinction between blood and blood, and exempts an entire population of ultra-Orthodox, even if Torah is not their sole occupation, from the obligation to share the burden. The relationship between the political echelon and the army, police, Shin Bet and Mossad has been completely distorted. The Prime Minister sees himself authorized to instruct the executive level how to act in each arena. Protesters are treated as criminals. I think we are no longer citizens, but subjects."