IDI President Yohanan Plesner and VP of Research Prof. Suzie Navot on the attack at the home of the Deputy Supreme Court President Justice Noam Sohlberg

Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90

The events that took place last night at the home of the Deputy President of the Supreme Court, Justice Noam Sohlberg, were not an isolated incident. They are the result of a prolonged and dangerous process of delegitimization directed at the judiciary, its judges, and the officials entrusted with enforcing the law. When, over the course of years, judges’ motives are called into question, their authority and standing are undermined, the perception is cultivated that judges are political adversaries rather than public servants, and public discourse toward them becomes incitement, it should come as no surprise that such rhetoric may ultimately escalate into intimidation, threats, and physical violence.

Violence and threats against judges are even more concerning than other forms of public violence. Their gravity stems from the fact that they are directed at the very institutions entrusted with upholding the rule of law, protecting human rights, and ensuring the preservation of the democratic rules of the game. An attack on a judge is an attempt to undermine the independence of the judiciary and its ability to fulfill its role without fear or favor.

We call on all public leaders to condemn, unequivocally and without reservation, every manifestation of violence, intimidation, or threats directed at judges, prosecutors, law enforcement officers, and senior public officials. Law enforcement authorities must treat such cases with the utmost severity. This is a bright red line. Safeguarding the independence of the judiciary and the security of judges is a fundamental condition for the existence of a functioning democracy.