introduction
For about 16 months, Justice Minister Levin has been doing everything in his power to prevent Justice Yitzhak Amit's candidacy for the presidency of the Supreme Court. This has included endless foot-dragging, cleverness, slander, and insults in an attempt to stall for time.
When the committee to select judges finally convened, Minister Levin and two coalition representatives boycotted the meeting. The committee elected Yitzhak Amit as the President of the Supreme Court. In response, Levin announced that he did not recognize the appointment and would not cooperate with the elected president. The Prime Minister followed suit and would not attend the president's inauguration, something that had never happened before, and recently the Speaker of the Knesset also joined in the celebration of the boycotts, to the glory of the State of Israel.
Amidst the chaos surrounding the appointment of Justice Yitzhak Amit as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, I sought insights into the two men at the center of this turmoil. To this end, I sought out people from within the legal community with prior acquaintances with them.
Judge Amit served as a judge in Haifa for about 12 years. in the previous article, we received impressions from a veteran Haifa lawyer about the personality of Judge Yitzhak Amit. This time we hear from a Jerusalem lawyer about Yariv Levin.
Rival Levin
Yariv Levin was born in 1969 in the Katamon neighborhood of Jerusalem. His father, Prof. Aryeh Levin, was a language researcher at the Hebrew University and a recipient of the Israel Prize for Linguistics. His godfather was Minister Menachem Begin. Levin attended Boyar High School in Jerusalem and served as an Arabic translator in Unit 8200. He holds a bachelor's degree in law from the Hebrew University and worked as a lawyer in the commercial-civil field.
As a student, he was active in the Likud student cell, first as a spokesman and then as deputy chairman of the cell. In 1997, he founded the Likud branch in Modi'in, and in 2003 was elected chairman of the branch. In 2006, Benjamin Netanyahu appointed him to head the government criticism headquarters - a position whose purpose was to challenge the Ehud Olmert government. At the same time, Levin headed the Mahatz (Young New Lawyers) faction in the Bar Association since 1999, and from 2003 to 2005 he served as acting head of the bar.
Levin entered the Knesset in February 2009. In March 2013, he was appointed coalition chairman and head of the Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu faction. In May 2015, he was appointed Minister of Tourism, and later served as Speaker of the Knesset (2020). Since December 2023, he has served as Minister of Justice. On January 4, 2023, Levin announced his plan for reform of the judicial system, known as the "Legal Revolution." Since then, he has devoted his energy to the struggle against the judiciary, in its current form.
Who are you, Yariv Levin?
I asked to receive the insights of Jerusalem lawyer Yiron Festinger about Yariv Levin.
Full Disclosure: Yaron and I have known each other since our days at the Real School.
Attorney Festinger has over forty years of experience and is a founding partner at the Ron-Festinger Law Firm. He specializes in the fields of tort, insurance, and medical negligence. Alongside his legal work, Festinger has also been involved in public service for many years. He served for over two decades as a member of the Central Committee of the Bar Association, and was one of the founders of the Bar Association's Tort Forum and its chairman. In 2003 and 2007, he ran for president of the Bar.
Attorney Festinger has been known for many years as a harsh critic of the legal system, mainly due to its judicial activism.
Questions for Attorney Festinger
1. How did you become acquainted with Yariv Levin?
From 1995 to 2015, I served as a member of the Central Committee of the Bar Association, after being elected to the position for five terms. You could say that I was one of the leaders of the conservative camp in the association. I met Yariv Levin in 1999, when he served as a member of the National Council of the association. He was already a Likud member at that time and led the Conservative faction in the association.
2. What can you tell us about Levin's behavior in the office?
In the eight years he served at the Bar Association (1999–2007), Yariv Levin left no real mark. He did not initiate, did not promote decisions, and was not involved in even minimal legislation. At the bar, he functioned as an apparatchik, focusing mainly on honorifics and self-promotion.
In 2004, the candidacy of the late Prof. Ruth Gavison, a brilliant and renowned jurist, was raised for the position of judge on the Supreme Court. Her candidacy was met with strong opposition from the then President of the Supreme Court, Aharon Barak, due to her conservative views and opposition to judicial activism. Justice Minister Tzipi Livni threw her full weight in favor of Gavison's appointment, but was met with opposition from Barak. He even publicly stated: "She has an agenda..."
To pass the appointment, Livni needed the support of two representatives of the Bar Association on the Judicial Appointments Committee. These representatives are elected every three years by the National Council of the Bar Association, by secret ballot. My camp and I supported Livni and worked to promote Gavison's appointment. We succeeded in getting one representative elected – Attorney Pini Marinsky (23:22 in the vote), but we failed to pass the second representative – Attorney Yaakov Ne'eman (24:22).
Thus, by a margin of two votes, our attempt to appoint Ruth Gavison to the Supreme Court failed.
To the best of my knowledge, Netanyahu demanded that Levin support the candidacy of Yaakov Neaman as the Bar Association's representative on the Judicial Appointments Committee. I learned that he even warned him that if he did not do so, he would have no place in the Likud. And what did Yariv Levin, the "ideologist" and Likud man, do? Instead of standing by Neaman, he allied himself with the head of the Bar Association at the time, Attorney Shlomo Cohen - a radical leftist - and gave him complete control of the Bar and its institutions. The vote was secret, but even then we suspected that Levin had made a deal with Cohen.
A few years later, the suspicion was confirmed. A lawyer from Levin’s faction, who voted with him for Shlomo Cohen’s candidates, told me that Levin confessed to him that he had indeed thwarted Ne’eman’s election – contrary to his promise to Netanyahu. And for what did Levin sell his principles (if he had any) and friend to a man who represented the complete opposite of his worldview? In exchange for a meaningless title – Acting Head of the Bar Association – For half a term, about two years only.
And why did he deceive Netanyahu? At that time, Levin valued his relationship with Shlomo Cohen and the honors he received from him more than Netanyahu and the Likud, which was then a shrinking opposition party with only 12 seats.
The result?
Cohen controlled the bar without interference, gave zealous support to President Aharon Barak and the attorney general's office, and turned the bar into a recruited political tool. In fact, one can attribute Cohen's complete politicization of the bar to his post-Zionist views.
3. What can you tell us from your knowledge about his work as a lawyer?
Many of the lawyers serving in the Bar Association come with a background of significant legal practice, having established their names as leading jurists. In contrast, Yariv Levin never stood out in the legal field and remained on the fringes of the profession.
4. What do you think of Levin's "legal reform"?
In my opinion, the Netanyahu coalition's mad rush to legislate the regime revolution stems from one and only one motive: canceling Netanyahu's trial. Whether through the "Amsalem Law," which would cancel the legal proceedings against him, or through taking over the judicial system - this is the main goal.
Alternatively, the goal may be achieved in an even more dangerous way: an escalation into violent conflict, which will come, as usual, from the right. In such a situation, even moderate and good personalities may call for a pardon for Netanyahu, out of a desire to prevent civil war and preserve the integrity of the state. If Netanyahu exploits his political power to overturn his trial, the meaning will be clear: erasing the principle of equality before the law enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, and turning Israel into the 23rd Arab state.
5. As a long-time opponent of judicial activism, what is the difference between the amendment you seek and the "Levin reform"?
What motivates Yariv Levin is not reforming the judicial system but its delegitimization, in order to serve Netanyahu and help him escape his trial. In such a situation, any discussion of “reforms” is meaningless—like dancing on the deck of the Titanic while the ship is sinking.
For those who are not aware of this, today most of the Supreme Court justices are right-wingers. But Levin is not satisfied with that. His goal is to completely politicize the judicial system, weakening it and turning it into a tool under the control of the Likud center. In this way, he will achieve a deterrent effect towards the judges of the panel hearing Netanyahu's case, as well as towards those who will sit on his appeal in the future.
This is a destruction of the principles of the rule of law. This is the reason for Levin's statements along the lines of "not recognizing the election," Amsalem's words about "civil war," and similar statements by the Knesset Speaker and others—all with the support of Netanyahu, who for his part is boycotting the swearing-in ceremony of the Supreme President.
And if we return to reform—the one that is truly needed, not Levin's—the damage that has already been done requires a return to the first principles and the opening of a new, transparent, and agreed-upon process. If Levin continues his forceful moves, the next government will undo them anyway.
6. Where does the obsession with Levin's conduct towards the legal system come from?
Yariv Levin's focus is solely on the Likud center. There, hatred of the "elites," the "small," and the sectarian element play a central role, as if it weren't the Likud that has been ruling the country for 50 years.
Levin himself already stated at the beginning of his moves that if he succeeds in passing the laws he aspires to, then "Small will never return to power." And if this is the concept of true "governance" from his perspective, then it makes his intentions very clear: a regime in which only one side rules, without real public discourse or significant opposition.
7. Where is Yariv Levin leading?
Levin has no power of his own – he draws his exclusive power from Netanyahu. As long as the artificial “constitutional crisis” and the incitement to a civil war conflict serve Netanyahu, Levin will continue his moves without inhibition. When Netanyahu leaves, only then will it be possible to begin to fix what needs to be fixed in the legal system and the political system. Nothing good will happen before then.
I guess I don't see eye to eye with what's happening in the company.
One-sided article – leftist..
We had no doubt what Levin was striving for.
Help Netanyahu escape his trial…and this is at the expense of the people!
Under the leadership of the traitor and co., everything is rotten. Yariv Levin dances to the tune of the patron, the enemy of the people, and that's how we look.
An article by a radical extreme leftist, who pretends to claim to be "right-wing" is a bad joke. Levin is promoting a legal revolution to rescue Netanyahu? What are you talking about? I haven't heard such nonsense yet... Have you read the indictment? As a leading jurist (unlike Levin in your opinion), indictments are washed up without any real evidence, forced imprisonment to force the state to be like that, a demand to give dictated testimony under threats, abuse and threats to family members as a necessary condition for the version they dictated to them. The fundamentally rotten judicial system did not throw the prosecution and the invalid and washed evidence into the cabinet just to overthrow Bibi... if only because they failed to defeat him in democratic elections... The guild in the judicial system is fundamentally rotten, and in the system of a friend brings a friend... You forgot to mention that the appointment of the president of the Supreme Court is not valid because there was no majority required during the vote. The judicial system is bankrupt... You are a large office that judges "consider", but the verdicts are for the attorneys in the large offices and not for bringing justice to light... Shame on the judicial system... Go watch the trial of cases in the US and Europe and you will understand what justice is... In our courts there is everything but injustice
Sane? Maybe. Feet on the ground? – Certainly not. A mess built from Netanyahu's messages, and I fear that anyone who was caught up in them will be bitterly disappointed when the verdict is written and published. Despite all the evidence and charges that Mandelblit has dropped, there is still solid evidence in the charges that have delayed imprisonment (which Netanyahu, the delayer, will probably avoid through a plea bargain).
All this because of the Netanyahu trial and Levin's dictatorship want to take over the courts. Levin is behaving like a thug. He hasn't learned from the past. What happened on October 7th is a government that is being slaughtered from head to toe. If they had the courage and honor, they would resign and go to the polls.
Just one question: What would have happened if Netanyahu had been involved in such a story of construction irregularities?
Do you think it's right that someone who is suspected of a crime would be the President of the Supreme Court? Where does the audacity and audacity to present himself as a candidate come from, and no less serious is the top judge who allowed such a move in the first place?
For Levin, maybe a psychiatrist would help. Avenger without understanding what the point is to insist on stupidity without explanation.
Yoram Katz Just seeing Yariv's picture immediately allowed Levin to understand what your reaction would be, just not Yariv.
First of all, you continue to ignore all the actions of the judge. You don't speak out against him for all his very extreme actions. You speak out against Bibi and his government because Bibi doesn't want the kidnapped. Ohel, you don't speak out against the judges for their hypocritical behavior, and you are hypocrites too. The entire left. On the one hand, the left speaks out in favor of the kidnapped and their return, but they act more in favor of the terrorists, the soldiers of Nuhava. They go and check the terrorists' mattresses and even if they are not comfortable for them. And they demand that they be fed more vegetables. I heard the judge, Yitzhak Amit. (I don't accept that he is the Supreme President) He asks whoever is responsible for trucks to Gaza to bring in more food for them. Even though I saw that there was plenty of food there. I saw all the good on the news
It doesn't seem like they are at war while he didn't come out against the world and the UN who don't care about our kidnapped people returning as Holocaust survivors. Regarding Judge Amit, I saw the additional construction in his house that was required to be demolished and wasn't demolished. He did a terrible thing that your channels didn't show. He forced the members of the Building Committee to approve him the exception for hundreds that he had to demolish in 2023. And he turned to them the day before his election as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in order to erase the mark of disgrace of Dnepr and not the Rabbi that he built. After that, Yoram Katz goes out to discredit Yariv Levin, whom we don't recognize either. Your channels didn't show all his steps. You say democracy and there is dictatorship.
How much nonsense! Every sensible person sees and understands that the Netanyahu cases are idle cases and everything is sewn up as soon as there is an elected government, it is supposed to reflect its policy, but the Supreme Court and other bodies that the left has taken over are trying to continue to run the country and repeal laws and trample on the government's policy. And the greatest audacity is that they appoint themselves as if there is no government here with an overwhelming majority. Who appointed you? Who elected you? You are a minority running the country here. I support my friend Minister Yariv Levin, who is fighting for justice and democracy, and I hope that the dictatorship of the Supreme Court and the corruption of the prosecutor's office will soon stop here. Look at the situation today, that the State of Israel is at war, and what is important is to harass the Prime Minister for a delusional and subversive trial. The main thing is to harm him on the right and in the majority of the country. Shame on you.
The amount of fascists in the comments is unbelievable. Too bad the article is an interview with a lawyer. Yariv Levin needs a psychiatrist. A first-rate sociopath
I appreciate Yariv Levy. He did everything to fix the corrupt judicial system, but the delusional and pathetic radical left stood in the way and took to the streets, causing a rift between the people.
We back you, opponent, and hope we see a revised matchmaking system soon.
Democracy = Demography
Eyal, in the next generation, those with the whistles, as you call them, will probably be few and on the margins of society with negligible influence. On the streets of Haifa and the northern cities and the Negev, as it is emerging, there will be a majority for the "minority" sector, who will perhaps adopt Sharia law altogether. In other cities and settlement cities, there will probably be a majority for the religious/Zionist/Haredi audience, who will naturally perhaps adopt reforms that are tailored to their constituency.
The ability of the minority to continue to control the majority is not endless in a regime they themselves have established in which birth is the determining factor.
Yoram Katz and you smuggled 50,000 young people out of Haifa
All your children and grandchildren have left town.
What's left for you is to go out on Saturday with whistles to the retirement meeting in Horeb.
Come on, maybe you'll make a gesture and pass it on to your children and grandchildren after you destroyed the city here?
Hey Dobby, isn't this called consciousness engineering in contemporary Hebrew?
It was enough to read the headline and look at the unflattering photo (of one of the greatest gentlemen in the Knesset) to understand the direction of the article...
That's fine, we're used to it. They're great at protests and in the media, but what matters is the ballot box. After the division that the left created and brought upon us the terrible disaster, and after Netanyahu's supporter of Israel and good friend was elected in the US, what chance do they have at the ballot box?
I almost believed this was a neutral article.
I wonder if it was a character praising Yariv Levin and his achievements, would you also interview him?
Enough, we understand, this site only gives a platform to the left side of the political map. There are no more expectations.
It's a shame there aren't 120 Yariv Levin in the Knesset
We must fight the dictatorship of the ayatollahs in the stench of "everything is fair and all of you are fair" created by the High Court of Justice.
Precise
Reform now. The judicial system should be subordinate to the government and not be an independent body that operates in secret chambers.
Have you heard of the separation of powers?
This is the essence of democracy.
Go read a little, learn a little…
Hahahaha the justice system is a corrupt system. Finally someone like Levin comes along and understands that a reform is needed that will change the justice system and change it for the better because someone there got confused and thinks that the justice system is supposed to run the government and not the government the justice system. Or as the late Tommy Lapid once said, don't let the officials run the country. He understood what his son is unable to understand.
You are quite a book. They suggested that you learn about the separation of powers and your opinion is simply one-sided - dictatorship. Tomorrow the dictatorship will establish a law that prevents elections, you will be the first to applaud
Don't believe any lawyer! 99 percent are scum or liars. They have no connection to justice or morality – they are just like the average politician.