Israeli Supreme Court president talks human rights

Beinisch said that Israel is constantly struggling with the balance between ensuring security and protecting human rights, noting that the judicial branch’s primary duty is guaranteeing the security of Israelis.

“When basic human rights are at stake, the doors of the Supreme Court are open,” she said, explaining that everybody has access to the Supreme Court in the Israeli system and that the court handles roughly 5,000 cases per year.

Beinisch is the first female president of the Supreme Court of Israel. She was first appointed to the court in 1995, and prior to her time on the bench, she served as the attorney general of Israel, representing the government in various courts and providing legal advice to several state authorities.

Currently, Israel is drawing international criticism for its recent invasion of Gaza, which ended Jan. 18. During the invasion, more than 1,400 Gazans were killed, according to the United Nations.

Beinisch explained that “security considerations” were not “magic words that the court accepts,” adding that the court examines carefully the reasons behind specific security measures and tries its best to protect human rights.

Beinisch also discussed the difficulty of dealing with confidential evidence as well as the court’s practice of always searching for quantity and quality for evidence against detainees.

While introducing Beinisch, Program in Law and Public Affairs Director Kim Scheppele noted the wide scope of the Israeli Supreme Court.

“If there’s a legal question that has some opinion somewhere, it’s likely it came from Israel,” Scheppele said.

During a 15-minute question-and-answer session, Beinisch took questions from audience members but not the press.

One audience member asked whether the election of Supreme Court justices was truly democratic. Beinisch responded by explaining that elected officials are involved in electing the judges.

“Democracy is not just the rule of the majority but also implementation of democratic values, and this is where the court comes in,” she said.

Beinisch’s numerous decisions during her tenure on the Israeli Supreme Court include a ruling that parents may not use corporal punishment on their children.

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Before receiving her law degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Beinisch served in the Israel Defense Forces, where she rose to the rank of lieutenant.

Toward the close of her talk, Beinisch expressed a wish to see less violence in her country’s future.

“The threat of terrorism is spreading every day,” she said. “Let us hope that the difficult times we are experiencing will soon pass and that we will be able to attain justice in times of peace.” She emphasized, though, that it was important to be realistic about the dangers of terrorism in the modern age.

The audience that filled Dodds Auditorium was composed primarily of older local residents and faculty, though some students were also in attendance.