Middle East & Africa | A court of their own

The judge and the attorney-general fighting for Israeli democracy

Two women are leading the opposition to the government’s legal reforms

Illustration of Esther Hayut, Gali Baharav-Miara and Yariv Levin
Image: Klawe Rzeczy
|JERUSALEM

As she ended the marathon hearing late on September 12th, Esther Hayut, the president of Israel’s Supreme Court, wished the packed courtroom a “g’mar chatima tova”. The Hebrew blessing, which means “a good final sealing” in the Book of Life, is usually proclaimed on the eve of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. That is still two weeks away, but her utterance seemed a fitting finish to the proceedings.

This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “A court of their own”

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