Likud minister lashes out at supreme court: ‘Like Iran, they think they’re gods of morality’

Levin wrote a fiery post against Israel’s Supreme Court on Monday, going so far as to compare its behavior to that of Iran.

By World Israel News Staff

Israeli Tourism Minister Yariv Levin lashed out at Israel’s Supreme Court on Monday over its decision to weigh in on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fitness for office.

On his Facebook page, Levin posted a sharp attack comparing the behavior of Israel’s Supreme Court to that of Iran.

“The process going on in the judicial branch right now is similar in a startling manner to the process in Iran. Three people sit in the Supreme Court and think they’re the gods of morality and possess the wisdom and knowledge of all the nation. They take to themselves authority that isn’t theirs in order to establish who can campaign and who can’t,” he wrote.

“Even the very existence of the High Court hearing is an unparalleled scandal. In a democratic state, the people decide who will lead and not the court. This petition had to be dismissed by the judges outright. They are not above us! They are not above the people!” Levin wrote.

The petition the court will hear was brought by attorney Dafna Holtz-Lachner on behalf of 67 public figures, including academics and tech executives. It asks the court to rule on Netanyahu’s eligibility to run in the March 2 elections.

In his post, Levin echoed Netanyahu, who has argued that only the people should choose their leader.

“Every judge and every citizen should have an equal voice in elections. This is democracy, because otherwise it is the opposite of democracy. It’s the judge’s rule,” Levin wrote.

“The fight now is not just about who will win the election. The struggle is for the very existence of our democracy. We will work together without fear to strengthen Prime Minister Netanyahu. Together we will keep Israel democratic!”