MK Blasts High Court ‘La-La Land’ on Terror

A right-wing member of Knesset has charged that the unrealistic attitude toward handling terrorism on the part of the judges of Israel’s High Court is undermining national security.

Jewish Home MK Moti Yogev said “the High Court is party to reducing the deterrence powers of IDF soldiers and the State of Israel in the next murder—not us—because it doesn’t allow [terrorists’] home demolitions,” Ynet quoted him as saying on Sunday night.

He made the comments in a radio interview in reference to his demand to demolish the homes of terrorists, in particular that belonging to Alaa Kabha, who murdered two IDF soldiers, Hy”d, and seriously wounded two others in a car ramming on Friday.

“The High Court is a kind of la-la land which doesn’t live in Israel. The judges that it contains, including (Chief Justice Esther Hayut), need to know their place. The Court has to do some serious repentance, to fix itself and not interfere with security and policy decisions. It isn’t its place. It isn’t within its authority, and the Israeli government needs to take the steering wheel into its hands,” Yogev said.

The MK argued that 72 hours from the time of a terror attack is sufficient for the state authorities to determine whether a demolition order is justified.

“Seventy-two hours is a long enough period of time to clarify whether there is any connection whatsoever between the family, the parents, brothers and sisters,” he said.

Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid stepped in to defend the honor of the judges:

“Jewish Home must immediately suspend Moti Yogev from the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee for his comments about the HCJ. This is incitement against the rule of law which cannot be overlooked in silence,” he tweeted.

MK Revital Swid (Zionist Camp) branded Yogev an “irresponsible populist” who doesn’t hesitate “for a second to incite without thinking that our soldiers are being given the false message that the HCJ is abandoning their lives.”

She also faulted Jewish Home chairman Naftali Bennet for not rebuking Yogev.

“Bennett’s silence, and that of Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked (Jewish Home)—who stands at the helm of the judicial system—who didn’t condemn the remarks, is terrible. They cannot ignore them in silence.”