Ex-chief justice warns Israel sliding to ‘anarchy’ after Haredi riot at judge’s home

Former Supreme Court president Esther Hayut on Friday warned that Israel was heading to “the brink of anarchy,” denouncing Wednesday’s violent attack on the home of deputy chief justice Noam Sohlberg by ultra-Orthodox rioters.

In a statement, Hayut expressed alarm over “extremist groups” that call to act against law enforcement, including the police and judges.

“This riot and other irregular and grave incidents occurring before our eyes constitute an ongoing violation of the principles of our democratic regime, primarily the principle of the rule of law,” said Hayut, who served as court president from 2017 to 2023.

“In light of these events, I saw fit to warn that alongside the complex security reality that we deal with daily, we are sliding toward the brink of anarchy at home. At this dangerous crossroads, I saw fit to call upon everyone to stop, to come to our senses, and to return to sane, ethical, and responsible behavior, because our lives depend on it.”

Dozens of Haredim protesting against the military draft gathered at Sohlberg’s home in the Alon Shvut settlement Wednesday evening and shattered windows, broke flowerpots by the front door of the house, smashed the windshield of a car in the garage and displayed a small Israeli flag with a swastika in place of the Star of David. Police arrested 62 people in connection with the incident.

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The violence at Sohlberg’s house came days after a group of Haredi protesters broke into a police station compound in Beit Shemesh, rioting and clashing with officers, and after members of the radical Jerusalem Faction in April broke into the home of the Military Police chief while his family was inside.

The attack on Sohlberg’s home was widely condemned, including by President Isaac Herzog and by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose coalition is working to advance legislation to exempt Haredi men from military service.

Similar to Hayut, current Supreme Court President Isaac Amit on Thursday denounced the riot as an assault on the entire legal system and the rule of law. Retired court president Dorit Beinisch blamed the top political leadership for the deterioration in adherence to the rule of law, pointing as one example to a comment by Justice Minister Yariv Levin earlier this week indicating that he would not abide by a High Court ruling.

That ruling obligated him to convene the Judicial Selection Committee as soon as possible in order to make appointments to the district courts, something he has refused to do since January 2025.

On Friday, Levin appeared to partially move in the direction of adhering to the ruling, publishing a list of 18 candidates — though only for the Haifa and Beersheba district courts.

Because Levin, who as justice minister heads the Judicial Selection Committee, has refused to convene the panel and make appointments since January 2025, there are currently 51 vacancies on the country’s various magistrate and district courts, a number that will rise to 67 by the end of the year.

Levin lacks a majority on the Judicial Selection Committee to guarantee his preferred candidates can get appointed to serve as judges on those courts, and has therefore insisted on achieving “broad consensus” within the committee over all appointments before moving ahead with the process.

The fight over judicial appointments comes against the backdrop of Levin’s broader campaign, throughout the course of his tenure, to diminish the powers of the judiciary and to remove legal checks on executive power.

Last March, the coalition passed legislation that greatly politicized the judicial selection process, although it will only take effect after the next election.

Alexander Fulbright and Jeremy Sharon contributed to this report.