In a landmark judgement yesterday the Israeli Supreme Court (Bagatz) struck down restrictions on entering and leaving the country.
While the decision was limited to this issue, the judgement, by a 3 Judge panel, harshly criticised all the government's human rights violations over COVID-19.
The Chief Judge Esther Hayut called the government's actions over the past year "unimaginable" and "unprecedented" "infringement of fundamental rights".
The second Judgement by Justice Yitzchok Amit listed the "Ten Plagues of Rights Infringement", echoing the Biblical 10 Plagues that God sent against the Egyptians.
This was a list of 10 fundamental rights infringed by government COVID measures.
They included:
- freedom of movement
- freedom of speech
- freedom of religious practice
- the right to work
- the right to conduct a business and purchase things
- the right to personal autonomy
- the right to privacy
The Jewish Passover Festival where Jews commemorate the Exodus from Egypt is next week. It features a special festive meal (Passover Seder) and a book (Haggadah) of history, songs and prayers to pass down the story from generation to generation.
After listing each of these plagues he said "Enough!" (Dayenu!) This is the traditional Jewish Passover exhortation against tyranny.
He then adds an 11th plague and lists the core rights in The Basic Law for EVERY person to be able to leave the country and EVERY citizen to be able to enter and says this is a core part of the fundamental contract between government at citizen which the government broke.
Justice Amit is expected to become the next Chief Justice of the Court, so his words are very significant.
This Judgement is also the third strike down of Coronatyranny laws by the Israeli High Court in recent weeks.
Last week they struck down electronic phone tracking.
Finally the Courts are starting the fight back against these unjustified and tyrannical restrictions.
Hopefully the political fightback will begin with the election of Rappeh party (