Get Out Of Here: Ben Gvir And Golan Lose Patience With Arab Lawyers At Supreme Court Hearing

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Knesset member Tali Gotlob clashed sharply with a defence lawyer and former Tayibe mayor during Supreme Court proceedings on Wednesday, demanding to know whether he was even qualified to practise law. The heated exchange took place during arguments over petitions challenging the controversial Noar (Youth) law, which significantly restricts funding and services to communities deemed by the government to have failed in combating violence.

The confrontation marked an unusually aggressive intervention by the government representatives during the Supreme Court hearing, with Ben Gvir and Gotlob repeatedly questioning the lawyer’s credentials and right to represent his clients. Their combative approach reflected the wider tension surrounding the Noar law, which has been heavily criticised by Arab-Israeli communities, human rights organisations and civil rights groups who argue it amounts to collective punishment.

The Noar law, passed earlier this year, allows the state to cut off government funding and services to communities, including Arab municipalities, that are judged not to be doing enough to prevent crime. Critics contend the legislation violates basic principles of equality and due process, arguing that it unfairly targets Arab-Israeli communities whilst ignoring violence elsewhere in Israeli society.

The Supreme Court’s decision on the validity of the law remains pending. The proceedings have highlighted deep divisions over security policy and how Israel treats its Arab-Israeli minority population, with government ministers taking an unusually hands-on role in defending the contested legislation during oral arguments.

Source: Maariv — Original article in Hebrew.