President Isaac Herzog’s speech at the Tenth Annual Conference of the Israel Bar Association (excerpt), 2 September 2022

The beating heart of the Israeli justice system is the beating heart of the entire state, and no state can exist without justice, just as no state can exist without a land or a language, without a parliament, without an executive. The rule of law is one of the most important organizing principles of the State of Israel, and all of us, the whole People of Israel, pray every day for the well-being of the state, of the judicial branch, and of the other branches of government. Without them, ‘every man would swallow his neighbor alive’ (Pirkei Avot 3:2).

The court is our home, and the stones that are cast at it harm all of us. Our judicial system is not only an essential anchor of our governing system; it has become so much more. In recent years, and even moreso in recent weeks as we have seen frequent threats to boycott citizens of the State of Israel, our judicial system, and especially the Supreme Court, has become an essential protective layer.

This is a priceless asset for Israel’s security and for its reputation. The confidence of the international community, and especially of Israel’s friends, in the resilience, independence, stability, and integrity of the Israeli judicial system gives our country a critical tailwind for actions that defend its security and the security of its citizens. But beyond this, it goes without saying: the strength of the judicial system is a supreme interest of ours, as a society and as a state.

Ladies and gentleman, I feel compelled to address a core issue in our lives. I have been following in astonishment, concern, and horror for a long time, especially in recent weeks and days, the terrible wave of murders befalling our country in general and Arab society in particular. Every morning, every night, every news broadcast, I hear about another man killed, another woman killed, people of different ages, from different places. And the numbers point to over 100 murder victims since last Rosh HaShanah (September 2020). Many hundreds of orphaned boys and girls, widows and widowers. Whole worlds that have been destroyed. Innocent civilians, our own citizens, citizens of our state.

We cannot continue living like this. The State of Israel cannot go on like this and still call itself a civilized country. It is unthinkable for citizens of the State of Israel to wake up in the morning and go to work without being certain that they will return home safely and soundly.

I sense that our tendency to use terms that downplay the situation, such as ‘crime families,’ ‘inter-clan conflicts,’ and even ‘family honor killings’–to describe murders that have nothing to with honor, nor with family–make it difficult for us to wage this war. And I therefore wish to emphasize: this situation is not categorically different. And it’s not marginal. This is civilian terrorism, for all intents and purposes. We are dealing with organizations of an inconceivable size, operating like militaries and controlling extensive networks of ties and resources. Terrorists who make decisions for all of us. And let me be clear: this terrorism is a threat to all of us. There is no such thing as a governance vacuum, or a sovereignty vacuum. Wherever we do not have a presence, as a state, as governing authorities–crime will take over! Today, it is at my neighbor’s. Tomorrow, it will be at mine. This is a national emergency.