Jerusalem, 14 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — President Isaac Herzog sharply warned on Wednesday that refusing to follow court rulings poses a “real danger” to Israel and its democracy, calling such defiance “destructive” for the country.
Herzog’s remarks come amid repeated threats by senior cabinet ministers to ignore potential judicial orders, and after Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara said Monday that the government continues to violate a court order enforcing military conscription for Orthodox (Haredi) men.
Speaking at a yeshiva high school in Kfar Etzion, Herzog said, “We need to know that without a legal system we could not exist as a society and as a state. It is unthinkable that anyone would consider disobeying a court ruling. When one disobeys a court ruling, or when one calls for disobeying a ruling — one endangers the State of Israel, Israeli society, social order, and our ability to live together.”
He added, “To think that a court order should not be obeyed, or that it is forbidden to obey the court, or to say that one should not obey a ruling, is a disaster, and it is a great danger to the state. It is a real danger, and therefore I warn against it in the strongest possible terms. Do not go there, and do not speak of it. Debate, yes — debate is legitimate. But God forbid that we cast doubt on our ability to respect court rulings.”
Herzog’s warning follows a letter from three senior cabinet ministers to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, stating that he should ignore a potential High Court order to remove National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from office for violating court directives on police practices. Signatories included Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and Coalition Whip Ofir Katz, as well as Ben-Gvir.
The letter insisted that attempts to remove “a senior minister constitute an attempted coup against democracy.”
The Attorney General argues that Israeli law distinguishes a minister’s policy-setting powers from the police’s sole authority over operational, investigative, and enforcement decisions. The governing coalition is trying to oust Baharav-Miara from her position.
On Tuesday, United Torah Judaism MK Moshe Gafni called on the government to disobey potential High Court of Justice rulings against efforts to legislate exemptions from army service for Israel’s Haredi community.
In recent weeks, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the government would “trample” Supreme Court President Isaac Amit, while Justice Minister Yariv Levin labeled the justices as “extremists” and called their rulings “political.”
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