Justice Minister Aleyet Shaked attacked former IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz on Sunday evening, accusing him of being part of the 'new left' in Israeli politics.
In a conversation with Attila Somfalvi at the Hazira event in Caesarea, Shaked said: "The political battle in these elections will be between the new right headed by Shaked and Bennett and Gantz's new left, and we will defeat him."
According to Shaked, the "New Right" is a bridge between all segments of the population with a clear right-wing ideology. "Just as we have made far-reaching changes in the legal and educational systems, we seek the people's faith in continuing these important revolutions even after the elections."
The criticism of Shaked's appointments to the Supreme Court, which the justice minister defined as "hollow" - "If you appoint activist judges, is it okay, and if conservative judges are appointed, is that wrong?"
"When I entered [the justice ministry] the court was not balanced. I set myself one worthy goal - to appoint high-ranking professional justices with a conservative outlook. I am happy that I have succeeded in doing so. The court is more conservative than it was a few years ago."
Shaked attacked the hypocrisy on the left, where attacks on conservative justices have been common even as left-wing critics call themselves defenders of the judiciary: "There was very harsh criticism from the left on the rulings of conservative judges and somehow I did not hear the court's defenders guarding against these attacks. Criticism is of course discourse. It is important to maintain a substantive criticism."
Referring to the attorney general, Justice Minister Shaked said: "The ministers have worked with him over the years, and I am sure that everyone will agree with me that he is honest, professional and responsible, and I trust his judgment."