The gatekeeper of Israeli democracy and rule of law

Deputy Attorney General Dina Zilber speaks at a Knesset Education, Culture and Sports Committee meeting

Mazal Mualem, writes in Al Monitor, “The Knesset’s Education and Culture Committee held a session on Nov. 6 on the “loyalty in culture” law, which would allow the culture minister to defund programs deemed to reject Israel’s symbols. Before the Knesset’s second and third readings of the bill, Deputy Attorney General Dina Zilber had the opportunity to address the committee, delivering a carefully crafted speech that the media dubbed “The Country Has Changed.” It was, in fact, a social, political and legal manifesto against the government. More than a simple legal opinion expressing reservations about Culture Minister Miri Regev’s proposed law, Zilber’s address was intended to send shock waves through the system, to protest the government and to feature on the media’s agenda.”

“Zilber has prior experience with events like this. She was therefore fully aware that her remarks would be filmed and otherwise recorded. With her statement, she appeared to want her admonition to reverberate beyond the Knesset committee’s chambers. “These are not easy times,” she said, delivering her lucid message in a soft, stable voice. “They bring with them not just new laws, but even new words: governance, loyalty, overriding. We see confrontational dialogue, the wounding and scarring of our shared social fabric, labeling and branding — who is for us and who is against us.”…

Israeli Knesset

“The law lies on a continuum of right-wing, nationalist legislation characteristic of the current government. Other such legislation includes laws to weaken the legal system, in particular the Supreme Court. To the latter end, the Knesset is debating an override clause that targets the court, allowing the legislature to override its rulings declaring laws unconstitutional. Since the formation of the current right-wing government after the 2015 elections, Zilber and many of her colleagues at the Justice Ministry have found themselves torn between their obligation to represent the government and their desire to defend the old democratic order as they knew it.” (more..)