Middle East Monitor / February 6, 2020
Israel’s Justice Minister Amir Ohana spoke Tuesday at a conference hosted by lawfare advocacy group Shurat HaDin, praising the role of the Israeli judiciary in pursuing political objectives.
According to The Jerusalem Post, Ohana was discussing a July 2019 ruling by the Jerusalem District Court holding the Palestinian Authority (PA) liable for attacks conducted in the Second Intifada.
“Our judges are not from the UN”, the acting justice minister remarked, adding that Israeli judges are instead “part of the foundation of the idea” that Israel “is not just another democracy, but the democracy that is the only national home of the Jewish people”.
In the ruling, Judge Moshe Driori – now retired and in attendance at this week’s event – held the PA liable for a number of attacks in 2000-2002, after a case was brought by Shurat HaDin.
The report noted that Drori held the PA liable “on the basis of…logistical and material direct support”, in addition to “continued financial support” for Palestinian prisoners and their families.
“With liability decided against the PA, the court case moves to the next stage where the plaintiffs will need to prove their damages, which could add up to as much as NIS 1b,” the Post added.
Ohana praised the ruling and Drori’s decision-making, saying judges “do not need to be like robots… when there is blood, there are evildoers”.