Disputes deepen inside Israel as supreme court president hits back at Smotrich

Internal disputes inside Israel are continuing to grow between the far-right government and the judicial system, highlighting the depth of the country’s political and institutional crisis. The latest tensions follow a sharp attack by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich against Supreme Court President Judge Isaac Amit.

In an official response issued yesterday, Amit described Smotrich’s remarks as “vulgar statements that crossed a red line”. He stressed that the comments would not affect his work or the performance of the judiciary.

Amit explained, in a message sent to members of the judicial system, that he had received dozens of messages since Monday afternoon from judges and court presidents. They said they felt personally insulted and warned that the remarks had damaged the standing of the judiciary.

He added that the attack was not aimed at him personally alone, but at the judicial institution as a whole.

The Supreme Court president said he thanked the judges for their solidarity and told them that, despite the seriousness of the remarks and their crossing of red lines, “they will not deter me from my path”.

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