Ayelet Shaked
Ayelet ShakedFlash 90

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked (Jewish Home) on Saturday night deflected criticism regarding her statement that "Zionism will not remain submissive."

On Tuesday, Shaked said, "Had the Zionist idea been part of the value system, yesterday's ruling might have looked different."

"I was not referring to the judges themselves," Shaked told Channel 2. "They are Zionists like you are and I am. I was speaking about the Knesset, which strengthened personal rights but not national rights."

"Over the years, the court has greatly expanded personal rights, but has not given a proper place to national rights. It is unthinkable that the court should only take security into account. The Knesset needs to provide the judges with tools, and the proper tool [for this] is the Nationality Law."

The Nationality Law legislates Israel's status as the national home of the Jewish people and emphasizes that Hebrew is the official language of the state and has a "special status." The law also states that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.

Regarding the demonstrations held outside Supreme Court Chief Justice Miriam Naor and Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit's homes, Shaked said she does not believe the demonstrations will sway either Naor or Mandelblit.

"You don't need to demonstrate outside the homes of public figures," she said. "The Supreme Court justices have said for many years that if a public figure has an office, you should demonstrate there. You should not improperly pressure his family."

"I have said in the past that we should allow protesters to demonstrate outside the Justice Ministry or the Supreme Court."

Regarding the statue of Naor which was placed outside the Supreme Court earlier this week in protest, Shaked said that "the placement of the statue, even if it makes us uncomfortable, is a justified part of freedom of expression."

Demonstrations are being held outside Naor's home to protest the Supreme Court's refusal to rid Israel of nearly 40,000 African infiltrators, most of whom arrived for economic reasons. The demonstrations opposite Mandelblit's home are to pressure him to indict the prime minister and his wife for allegations still under investigation.