In a move that surprised no one, the Supreme Court took another step to stymie the investigation into the Sdei Teiman affair and the disgraced Military Advocate General, revoking Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s appointment of retired judge Yosef Ben Hamo to head the case.

The Supreme Court has again proven to be the true ruler of Israel, continuously thwarting the probe into the Sdei Teiman case, the worst scandal in Israeli history, and protecting ex-MAG Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi and Attorney-General Gali Baharav Miara. Last month, the Supreme Court revoked the appointment of retired judge Asher Kula, who was appointed by Levin to head the investigation.

Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Yariv Levin responded sharply: “This whole plot looks like something taken straight from a criminal case. It all began when Justice Amit’s friend, Justice Willner, was appointed to the Supreme Court with his blessing. Then Justice Willner, in a scandalous and unlawful ruling, granted him the title of ‘President.’”

“Then serious complaints were filed against Justice Amit. That’s when Attorney General Baharav-Miara stepped in, allowing them to be closed in an instant. Now the debt is being repaid. Amit and Willner are shooting down, one after another, the judges appointed to oversee the investigation. They are preventing the truth from coming out regarding the involvement of Baharav-Miara and her subordinates in the MAG affair.”

“Here before you is the core group that repeatedly thwarts efforts to uncover the truth. Those who call themselves ‘gatekeepers’ and ‘guardians of the law’ are actually guarding each other. They are hiding. They are afraid of the truth being exposed. And it will not help them. We will not relent until the truth comes out!”

Likud spokesperson Guy Levy also launched a fierce attack on the judicial system following the decision, writing: “First it was the MAG. She leaked a doctored video against IDF soldiers, deceived, lied, created a false impression, and in the end made sure to cover herself.”

“Then came the Attorney General—she, too, covered up, hid things, and covered herself regarding the MAG’s cover-up.”

“And then came Judge Yitzchak Amit and his colleagues at the Supreme Court, and they also covered for the Attorney General, who covered for the MAG, who covered for herself.”

“That’s what it looks like when Mom and Dad are first cousins. You wouldn’t recognize law and democracy even if they fell on you from the heavens.”

Leftist Judge Amit wrote in the ruling that “the appointment decision, in both of its parts—the consultation with the acting Civil Service Commissioner, as well as the appointment decision itself—is not supported by even a minimal factual basis regarding the examination process that led to the conclusion that no official within the civil service meets the criteria set out in the ruling.”

Last week a commotion broke out in the Supreme Court during a hearing on the petitions against Ben Hamo’s appointment. Attorney David Peter, representing Justice Minister Yariv Levin, sharply criticized the involvement of the Supreme Court Division of the State Attorney’s Office, saying, “It was ruled that members of the State Attorney’s Office are in a conflict of interest and cannot be involved in accompanying the investigation, and therefore also cannot be involved in deciding who will replace them. So whom is Attorney Rozenberg representing? He’s not representing the Justice Minister nor the Attorney General—so whom is he representing? ”

Later, Peter argued that the state had not submitted any affidavit supporting the position presented: “The facts are false; crucial documents were never submitted. I, as a private lawyer, was the one who submitted them.”

Peter stressed that Minister Levin had approached four judges with an offer to take the position, and all declined. “The minister is also trying to locate senior civil servants with criminal-law experience, but the Attorney General needs to present her version—you can’t appoint just anyone,” he said.

During the hearing, a man in the audience shouted at the Court President, “Yitzchak Amit, you’re a criminal.” Amit responded, “I’m glad people can see how attempts are made to intimidate the court,” and ordered the man removed from the court

The representative of the Attorney General said in the hearing that in their view the appointment is invalid because Ben Hamo “is not a senior civil servant,” emphasizing that the previous ruling clearly required such a qualification.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)