Prime Minister Ehud Olmert downplayed reports of his conflict with Supreme Court Justice Dorit Beinisch on Sunday, saying “I respect the court’s authority, and I don’t want to argue with the Supreme Court.” However, he insisted, only the government has the authority to make decisions regarding the protection of the homefront.
Earlier in the day Olmert criticized the Supreme Court for intervening in security matters by ruling recently that the government’s defense plan for the Gaza perimeter was insufficient. Sources in the justice system accused Olmert of attacking the High Court, and Beinisch accused him of attempting to “scare the court into submission.”