Maguire in court
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Supreme Court rejects Maguire's appeal
Judges say Nobel laureate 'took law into own hands', entered Israel while fully aware of deporation order. Ruling determines 'court cannot give seal of approval; decision remains in government's hands'
Supreme Court President Dorit Beinish and justices Asher Grunis and Neal Hendel rejected Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Mairead Maguire's appeal over a deportation order pending
against her, following her participation in a Gaza-bound flotilla in
June.
The judges noted they found no flaw in the initial ruling
issued by the District Court, and therefore abstained from intervening.
In their ruling, the judges wrote that because Maguire "took the law into her own hands" and entered Israel despite having a 10-year deportation order issued against her, the court cannot intervene in the decision to deny her entry into the country.
Cruel Intentions
Nobel Peace Prize laureate fails to convince court she was unaware of deportation order issued against her following her participation in May's Gaza-bound aid flotilla
The justices argued their ruling was based on the belief that Maguire was aware of the deportation order issued against her, and noted that she should have acted through a legal framework, by returning to Ireland and appealing to the Ministry of Interior to reverse the order from there.
"Once Maguire decided to take the law into her own hands and visit Israel, despite the entry ban issued against her, she is not eligible for the assistance she is requesting, according to the basic laws that guide our legal judgment," the justices wrote.
In their ruling, the judges emphasized the interior minister's ability to exercise broad judgment vis-à-vis granting entry into Israel in general, and particularly in this case, due to its political consequences.
However, the judges noted, the State of Israel should have accepted their proposal and allowed Maguire to complete the remaining 48 hours of her scheduled visit, while releasing her on bail and obliging her to leave the country at the end of the allotted timeframe.
Despite their criticism, the judges argued that because Maguire entered Israel while being aware of the deportation order issued against her, the court cannot give a legal seal of approval, and the decision remained in the hands of the government.
The judges also rejected a claim according to which Maguire's basic rights were violated, ruling that their verdict did not prevent her from requesting to reverse the deportation order within the proper legal framework.
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