Remarks of the President of the Supreme Court
    Welcome to the Web site of the Judicial Authority of Israel.

The site is designed to enable you to become acquainted with the court system and obtain information about it.
     The judiciary, together with the legislature and the executive,

comprise the three branches of government in a democracy. Throughout the history of the state, an imposing, autonomous, professional, and independent judicial system has been built. This system has gained the trust of the Israeli public and holds a respected and prestigious place in the international judicial community.
     The role of the judicial authority is to decide disputes –

between individuals and between an individual and the government. The judicial authority plays a central role in ensuring statutory and constitutional norms to ensure that Israeli society is law abiding and respects human rights, and in which the government, too, acts in a lawful manner. The courts defend human rights and limit the use of governmental power to the confines of the law, while balancing the needs of the public and those of the individual.
     The Supreme Court, which stands at the head of

the judicial pyramid, is the authorized interpreter of laws enacted by the Israeli parliament – the Knesset. It is he body that applies the binding norms in Israel and develops the law in a proper and lawful manner, one building block on top of the next. In developing the law, the Supreme Court gives expression to the values of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, and strives to achieve a just judicial result. Even prior to the enactment of the Basic Laws, the Supreme Court developed a philosophy of human rights, and its decisions provided a response for the rights and interests of the individual, and of the general public in Israel, in times of crisis and in times in which the security of the State was under threat. These decisions were based on a broad, balanced, and value-oriented perspective of rights of the individual versus the needs of the state and society. Relying on precedent, the decisions of the Supreme Court bind the lower courts and apply to the entire public.

 
     In studying the information on the activity of the courts in Israel,

you will see that the courts have an extremely heavy workload, taking into account the many tasks that have been given them over the years. This has been particularly true in recent years, following the growth of the country’s population, the public’s great reliance on judicial relief, and the new legislation designed to fight serious and organized crime. The courts are organized to find solutions to ease the burden and handle judicial proceedings expeditiously. Toward this end, alternative ways have been sought to resolve disputes, innovative computer technology has been used, and other ways and means are under consideration to increase the efficiency of the judicial system. Hopefully, these processes will be accompanied by the allocation of resources that will enable improvement of the services that the courts provide to the public.
    On this site, you can learn about the courts’ powers

and modes of operation, about the way that every person may turn to the courts in Israel for relief. You will also be able to find and study decisions and judgments of the Supreme Court and the other courts, and learn how the courts apply the law and legal principles.