Justice Khaled Kabuv on Monday became the first Muslim appointed to Israel's Supreme Court, the country's highest judicial authority.
Jaffa-born Kabuv — who will succeed former Justice Neal Hendel — takes office alongside some 80 other judges who were sworn in to various positions at the Court on Monday.
64-years-old Kabuv — known to hold constitutional views — had been approached in 2017 for the position, though he was not initially named.
His and the other justices' appointment comes amid efforts to reorganize the 15-justice body presiding over Israel’s top court, which is often called on to rule on questions affecting society, the economy or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
It acts both as the ultimate court for criminal and civil matters, and as the guarantor of the constitutionality of laws and the conformity of government decisions.
Kabuv's appointment comes hours after United Torah Judaism MK Yitzhak Pindrus faced backlash from across the political spectrum for both panning the Supreme Court for what he considered a gross overstep into the work of the Knesset, and after stating publicly that he would like “to blow up” Israel's top court.