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ID: 095153

Democracy and judicial autonomy in Israel's early years / Kedar, Nir

Kedar, Nir	Journal Article
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Publication

2010.

Summary/Abstract

The article investigates the question of judicial autonomy in the State of Israel during the first five years of independence. It examines to what extent the government and the Knesset were involved in the procedure of appointing Supreme Court judges, and then discusses the involvement of these authorities in the courts' ongoing work. An examination of the full range of evidence from the period leads to the conclusion that, since the establishment of Israel, there were no unsuitable attempts to influence judges to issue unfair rulings or to restrict their autonomy in other ways. The mistaken notion that judges in the early years of Israel were not respected or appreciated and that their autonomy was in practice flawed should therefore be abandoned, acknowledging the efforts of the first Israelis to reconcile the complex principles of democracy and the rule of law

Key Words

Israel ; Political Culture ; Judicial Autonomy ; Iran - Democracy - 1941-1953

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ID: 122062

We need the messiah so that he may not come: on David Ben-Gurion's use of messianic language / Kedar, Nir

Kedar, Nir	Journal Article
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Publication

2013.

Summary/Abstract

In his speeches and writings as Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion often used messianic language. In the late 1950s this policy evoked strong criticism in wide circles of the Israeli political and intellectual elite. The fear was that the combination of sweeping messianic ideas and Ben-Gurion's political might would inflict an irreparable blow to Israeli democracy. This article shows that, contrary to the claims of prominent Israeli intellectuals, Ben-Gurion's 'messianism' did not reflect a pretension to hasten the end of history but a desire to use the Jewish prophetic vision as a compass that would spur Israelis to express their human sovereignty and create a civilized society.

Key Words

Israel ; David Ben - Gurion ; Messianism ; Historical Vision ; Iran - Democracy - 1941-1953

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