Middle East & Africa | A court of their own

The judge and the attorney-general fighting for Israeli democracy

Two women are leading the opposition to the government’s legal reforms

Illustration of Esther Hayut, Gali Baharav-Miara and Yariv Levin
Image: Klawe Rzeczy
|JERUSALEM

As she ended the marathon hearing late on September 12th, Esther Hayut, the president of Israel’s Supreme Court, wished the packed courtroom a “g’mar chatima tova”. The Hebrew blessing, which means “a good final sealing” in the Book of Life, is usually proclaimed on the eve of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. That is still two weeks away, but her utterance seemed a fitting finish to the proceedings.

This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “A court of their own”

From the September 16th 2023 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Middle East & Africa

Palestinians newar a burnt-out vehicle after a group of settlers attacked a village in the West Bank

The Gaza ceasefire is stoking violence in the West Bank

Hamas and the Israeli far right both want to destabilise the West Bank

People hold a banner featuring Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as members of the Syrian community and supporters gather to celebrate the fall of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, in Istanbul, December 8, 2024

Turkey is determined to expand its influence in the new Syria

That could cause tensions with the Arab world—and Israel


Israeli-Palestinian-conflict-January-19

The start of a fragile truce in Gaza offers relief and joy

But the ceasefire is not yet the end of the war


West African booze is becoming a luxury product

Female entrepreneurs are leading the charge

The Trump effect could upend the Middle East

Will Israel and Donald Trump use the threat of annexation to secure a new grand bargain?

After 15 months of hell, Israel and Hamas sign a ceasefire deal

Donald Trump provided the X factor by putting heat on Binyamin Netanyahu, who insists the war isn’t over yet