Former Supreme Court president Aharon Barak had his car blocked by right-wing activists on Wednesday while leaving an event where he said that Israel’s Declaration of Independence no longer reflects the values of the country.

In his fiery speech at an event dubbed “The First Liberal Congress” organized by the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, Barak lambasted the government and its ministers for what he said was a campaign of delegitimization against the judiciary; for failing to tackle criminal violence and murders in the Arab sector; for failing to establish a state commission of inquiry into the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks; and for striking a “political deal” to enshrine into law ultra-Orthodox exemptions from military service.

His comments were the latest broadside against the government, after he told anti-government protesters in Tel Aviv earlier this month that Israel was no longer a liberal democracy.

“Government ministers display contempt for the judicial branch and for its head, Supreme Court President Justice Isaac Amit. There are calls not to comply with court rulings, attacks on judges, and continuous delegitimization of the judiciary,” Barak said in his Wednesday speech. Barak is often accused by the right of entrenching judicial overreach in Israel during his years in office between 1995 and 2006.

The former Supreme Court president alleged that the delegitimization campaign against the judiciary has been prompted by “the refusal to do the obvious — to establish a state commission of inquiry following the events of October 7.”

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© The Times of Israel