Supreme Court president warns that verbal attacks pave the way to physical violence
Addressing a special Israel Bar Association conference in Tel Aviv on September 2, Supreme Court President Isaac Amit argued that the road to physical violence against judges and lawyers runs first through verbal violence, and that attacks by public officials and on social media degrade the discourse that reaches courtrooms. He warned that threats may deter lawyers from taking controversial cases, from meeting clients alone, or from representing them effectively, and noted that some courts have closed proceedings to the public and that security has escorted lawyers and litigants to their vehicles. He cited the June riot outside the Alon Shvut home of Deputy Supreme Court President Noam Sohlberg, where protesters damaged the house and his car while family members were inside, as an attempt to intimidate judges over their rulings. The conference had been scheduled to open the legal year and was repurposed after the killing of attorney Arbel Feldman in Rishon Lezion on August 4; the indictment describes a dispute with a former client and alleges no political motive, and Amit used the killing as a starting point rather than as an example. The Bar and five other professional bodies signed a charter creating a permanent forum on violence against workers.