Justice Yitzhak Amit was sworn in as President of the Supreme Court in a ceremony at the President's Residence this evening (Thursday).
President Isaac Herzog condemned the decision of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana not to attend the ceremony. "The excitement at this important event is also mixed with pain. It is painful that in the midst of an extraordinary period - a period that tests our existence as a strong people, in which our enemies threaten our very sovereignty - this event is taking place 'in a one-sided manner.' It is painful that the leadership of all the branches of government is not present here today, together."
"I am very sorry that the leaders of the executive and legislative branches are not here with us today, as was appropriate and expected of them. In a democratic state, where statesmanship is the pillar of its existence, there is no place for one authority to be boycotted by another; there is no place for turning law and practice into a tool used for political or public struggles; and there is certainly no place for disqualifying the President of the Supreme Court, who was elected to his position in accordance with the law and all provisions of the law," Herzog said.
He also said that he "knows that sometimes there are those who see 'statesmanship' as a kind of meaningless term intended to eliminate all legitimate criticism. In my opinion, there is no more wrong interpretation of statehood than this."
According to Herzog, "Statesmanship - as we inherited it from the great men of the nation, including David Ben-Gurion and Menachem Begin - is our organizing framework. It is what holds - simultaneously - both our identity as a state and our identity as citizens and communities. Statesmanship is the infrastructure that allows us to conduct discussions, debates, and deep disputes, while relying on the understanding that we are part of the same whole. Of the same people. Of the same state. Statesmanship requires us to accommodate disagreements. To speak, listen, and respect despite disagreements. Boycotts are the complete opposite of statesmanship."
He continued, "We are in a time when public trust in government authorities and state institutions is eroding. Therefore, this occasion of the declaration of the path of office by the President of the Supreme Court is an extremely important opportunity for us to also speak about public trust in the judiciary and the legal system. After all, we are all familiar with the statement, which many of you - distinguished judges - often quote, that the power of the judge, and in fact - the strength of the entire legal system - is based on the public's trust in them.
"We must say honestly: the crisis that Israeli society is in today is a real and profound crisis. There are millions of citizens in Israel who are anxious about the loss of the image of the Jewish and democratic State of Israel. Who fear that the delicate balances between the branches of government are being eroded in favor of the executive branch and that human and civil rights are no longer protected from the power of the majority," the President stated.