From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, December 30, 2025
Smotrich doubles down on attack on Supreme Court president
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleAriela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich doubles down on incendiary comments he made yesterday when he vowed to “trample” Supreme Court President Isaac Amit, whom he called a “violent megalomaniac,” prompting widespread criticism from the Judicial Authority and opposition lawmakers who accused him of incitement.
“I have no more delicate words to choose from to describe the injustice that Isaac Amit and his colleagues are inflicting on Israeli democracy,” the minister says today in an interview with Army Radio.
He accuses the Supreme Court of “violently trampling upon and silencing the voice of the majority” and “stealing the will and freedom of the people of Israel.”
“We’re speaking on Army Radio — a station that all the [military] chiefs of staff thought should be shut down. The government decided to close it, and now there is an interim injunction [issued by the court],” he says. “This is not democracy.”
The court on Sunday evening froze the government decision to shutter Army Radio, after the cabinet had unanimously approved Defense Minister Israel Katz’s controversial proposal.
Smotrich further accuses Army Radio of attempting to “delegitimize” and “silence” him while hosting him for an interview.
The Times of Israel Community.