High Court rejects petition against Ben Gvir’s appointment as minister

The High Court of Justice unanimously rejects a petition requesting that it order National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir removed from office due to his previous criminal convictions, with Justice Isaac Amit writing that although Ben Gvir’s appointment was problematic it was not “unreasonable in the extreme.”

The 12th of Heshvan tolerance organization, together with several individuals, petitioned the court against Ben Gvir’s appointment in December 2022, arguing that his appointment was unreasonable due to his alleged repeated involvement in efforts to disturb the peace, as well as having past criminal indictments, including convictions for incitement to racism and supporting a terror organization.

“There is a common thread between the various crimes for which Minister Ben Gvir has been convicted over the years, in that most of them are directly and indirectly related to the violation of public order, while the national security minister is the figure who is entrusted with maintaining the rule of law and public order,” writes Amit in the ruling.

Amit continues however to say that the considerable time that has passed since Ben Gvir was last convicted, his relative youth when he was convicted, and the fact that he told the court he has since “changed his ways,” mitigate against ordering him removed from office.

Justices Noam Sohlberg and Yechiel Kasher both concur with Amit’s ruling, specifically that there is no room for an activist ruling against Ben Gvir.