Israeli legal system

Sheikh Raed Salah, leader of the Northern Branch of the islamic Movement, and Mohammad Barakeh, chairman of High Follow Up Committee, arrive for a visit at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City, April 19, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

First Israel silenced Palestinian citizens. Now it turns to their leaders

Recent cases involving prominent Arab officials reveal the state's strategy: digging up old statements and seeking severe punishment in Israeli courts.

By Baker Zoubi July 6, 2026

Filmmaker and actor Mohammad Bakri at the Supreme Court, in Jerusalem, May 16, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Until his final day, Mohammad Bakri would not be crushed

Israel’s courts, military, and mainstream media united to punish the Palestinian actor for giving voice to his people. But he remained unbroken to the end.

By Michael Sfard January 6, 2026

Amiram Ben-Uliel, convited of over the Duma arson attack in July 2015, arrives to a court hearing on his appeal, at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, March 7, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The hidden list of Jewish terrorists Israel’s far right wants to free

Ministers and activists are pushing to release dozens of prisoners, including murderers, who attacked Palestinians. The state won’t disclose their identities.

By Sivan Tahel December 3, 2025

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and ministers at the Knesset, March 26, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Legislating apartheid: How Israel entrenched unequal rule during Gaza war

In a two-year blitz, Israeli lawmakers passed over 30 laws curtailing Palestinians' rights and punishing dissent, a new report shows.

By Orly Noy December 2, 2025

A Palestinian man accused of taking part in a lynching during a 2021 riot in Akka, at a court hearing in Haifa, July 28, 2022. (Flash90)

When Israel’s courts become ‘instruments of revenge’ against Palestinian citizens

The outcome of two recent murder cases — one of a Jewish-Israeli, the other a Palestinian — has reaffirmed the shallow liberties of second-class citizenship.

By Vera Sajrawi November 19, 2025

Then-Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi attends a ceremony for outgoing Supreme Court justice Yosef Elron, at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem. September 18, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Both sides of the Sde Teiman leak debate reflect Israel’s moral decay

The Israeli army’s top legal official is being hounded over her role in a scandal that has split the nation. Her complicity in the genocide goes unmentioned.

By Ori Goldberg November 7, 2025

Rafat Sub-Laban protesting outside his family's home in the Old City of Jerusalem, after they were expelled to make way for Jewish settlers, July 11, 2023. (Yahel Gazit)

‘Israel wanted a silent, perfect victim. We refused’

After settlers took over his family's home in Jerusalem’s Old City last month, Rafat Ghaith-Sub Laban reflects on the hardships and lessons of their struggle.

By Yahel Gazit August 15, 2023

Supreme Court Chief Justice Esther Hayut and other justices arrive for a court hearing on the election committee's decision to disqualify Balad from running in the Knesset election, Jerusalem, October 6, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Israeli courts legitimized the state’s worst policies. We must still protect them

It is hard for critics to stand up for a judiciary that enables many human rights abuses. But the coalition's plans would make the regime far more repressive.

By Natalie Davidson and Limor Yehuda January 23, 2023

Joint List MK Basel Ghattas is brought to court for a remand on his arrest at the Rishon Lezion Magistrate's Court, December 27, 2016. (Yair Sagi/Flash90)

In bid to expel Arab MK, Israel manages to break its own record

MK Basel Ghattas will serve two years for smuggling cellphones to Palestinian security prisoners. That’s a longer sentence than the one handed down to an Elor Azaria, who executed an incapacitated Palestinian. Congratulations are in order to the attorney general and the Knesset for the latest Arab they managed be put up on the cross.…

By Orly Noy March 18, 2017

An Israeli settler cries during evacuation of the illegal outpost of Amona, on the second day into the eviction, February 2, 2017. (Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Amona’s evacuation is no victory

After over a decade of legal battles, the state was finally forced to evacuate the illegal West Bank outpost of Amona. But that does not mean we should start celebrating any time soon. I’ll admit it: I feel a certain sense of satisfaction watching the evacuation of Amona, the illegal West Bank outpost built on…

By Orly Noy February 2, 2017

A man examines the burnt house of the Dawabsha family during the funeral procession of Saad Dawabsha, in the West Bank village of Duma, August 8, 2015. (photo: Yotam Ronen/Activestills.org)

Never enough evidence to convict ‘price tag’ attackers

It’s hard to avoid the feeling that the police are incapable, even at their best, of obtaining convictions for Jews who burn Palestinian vehicles. By Yesh Din, written by Yossi Gurvitz The deplorable murder of Ali Dawabshe led to a wave of far-reaching, anti-democratic proposals allegedly meant to augment the fight against hate crimes targeting Palestinians. As Yesh…

By +972 Magazine August 21, 2015

The Ofer military prison in the snow, December 15, 2013. (Photo by Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

In Israel’s military court, one’s fate is sealed long before trial

For the vast majority of Palestinians in Israel’s military courts, keeping defendants in prison until the end of legal proceedings is the rule, not the exception. By Yael Stein A visit to Israel’s military court at Ofer Prison can be confusing. A sense of injustice pervades the place, but it is sometimes hard to put…

By +972 Magazine June 23, 2015

WATCH: ‘Separate and unequal’ – Interview on Israel’s legal system

I recently sat down for an interview with activist and filmmaker David Sheen, as part of a larger project he is working on. We discussed Israel’s legal system and the distortions inherent in it, and the possible avenues for change in Palestine and Israel. I provide a breakdown of the structure of citizenship in Israel and…

By Roi Maor August 15, 2012