Only 6.1% of Israelis have full confidence in the judges of the High Court of Justice in Israel, and a mere 17.4% of the public indicated that their level of trust in the judges is high, according to a new survey published Monday ahead of a court hearing on the Nationality Law.
In contrast, almost half of the public, 42.6%, say that their level of confidence in the High Court is low or non-existent.
About 20.2% of the respondents answered that they support a change in the method of electing judges compared to 15.7% who oppose this, while 33.7% have no interest in the issue at all.
When asked whether or not the public has access to clear information about High Court justices, 57.3% of the respondents answered that they have no access to the information, compared to 15.9% of the respondents who answered they do.
Following this worrying statistic, the Im Tirzu Zionist watchdog launched the “Know the Judge” website, in which it seeks to reveal the judges’ rulings and their positions that “harm Israeli democracy,” as Im Titzu described them.
The survey also shows that 49.2% of Israelis oppose High Court decisions banning the demolition of the homes of terrorists who murdered IDF soldiers, a ruling which is contrary to the position of the state and the Ministry of Defense.
Regarding the question of the High Court ruling in favor of Member of Knesset Hiba Yazbek from the Arab Balad party in the 2020 elections in her appeal against the Knesset’s disqualification of her candidacy due to her support for an armed struggle against Israel, 50.3% of respondents answered that they oppose the High Court ruling to allow Yazbek to run in the election, compared with 10.1% of the respondents who supported the ruling.
The survey was conducted by the Midgam project panel chaired by Dr. Ariel Ayalon with the participation of 503 respondents reflecting the population in Israel, Jews and non-Jews.
The poll was commissioned by the research division of the Im Tirzu movement ahead of the High Court’s Tuesday hearing on the Nationality Law, with the aim of “saving Israeli democracy and restoring confidence in the judicial system.”
Last week, Im Tirzu posted a huge billboard on the Ayalon highway in Tel Aviv calling for a halt to the repeal of the Nationality Law, following which the President of the High Court Justice Esther Hayut decided to hold the debate with a live broadcast.
Matan Peleg, chairman of Im Tirzu, said that the survey shows that “Israeli citizens do not trust the judiciary, including the High Court. The reason for this is due to the conduct of High Court judges over the past few years.”
He accused them of “behaving like politicians in robes more than Judges. This phenomenon is seriously damaging to democracy and Israeli society.”