New right-wing faction in Israeli Bar seeks to change political leaning

A right-wing Israeli Bar Association faction seeking to change the political direction of the lawyers' body announced its formation on Sunday ahead of the organization's elections.

The new Zionist Legal Initiative faction said that the current composition of the Bar made it part of the "long arm of the [political] opposition." 

In reference to the ongoing judicial reforms, the faction said that the Bar was working against democratic values and the results of the past election.

"The upcoming elections for the head of the Bar are among the most important in its history. The impact that this event will have goes beyond the narrow boundaries of the Bar and touches the legal and moral foundations of the State of Israel," the faction said in its first announcement on Facebook. "We believe that there is a very large percentage of lawyers who support real change in the bar, both professionally and politically."

What are the new faction's plans?

The faction said that not only would it allow all lawyers to express their positions and beliefs, but they would advocate for development and implementation of Zionist legalism and "Zionist laws" such as the Nation-State Law and the Law of Return.

"We are here to represent you, the silent majority whose voice is not heard," said the faction. 

The Bar Association presidential elections are set to be held on June 20. The elections were announced following the resignation of former Bar head Avi Himi in January due to accusations of sexual impropriety.

Himi allegedly masturbated in a video call with an attorney seeking his recommendation to become a judge. While he has denied the allegations, he resigned almost immediately after the accusation surfaced. 

As the Bar head, Himi was strongly outspoken against the judicial reform since it was first proposed at the beginning of the year. A central component of the reform would see the alteration of the Judicial selection committee's composition to remove two Bar representatives. 

The election has been rife with controversy. Former Bar head Efi Nave is running for reelection, despite also having suffered a sex-for-judgeship scandal. Nave resigned in 2019 after he was accused of promoting judicial candidates in exchange for sexual favors, but the case was dropped in 2021 when the deputy state attorney determined that the case wasn't winnable in court. 

The Movement for Quality Government appealed to the State Attorney's Office on May 4 to intervene in Nave's campaign, saying that it was unethical for a criminal and scandal-ridden candidate to lead the Bar. 

On Wednesday, an election committee meeting was held after a faction led by Doron Barzilay brought forward evidence that Nave and other candidates had submitted digital signatures in support of their candidacy. To run for Bar head, candidates must submit 550 hand-written signatures in favor of their running. 

Digital signatures were disqualified, and on Thursday Nave said that the move was an attempt by his rivals to beat him by undemocratic means.

"Yesterday's event proved once again that the only way to beat me is through deceptive methods, spreading lies and using illegal means," said Nave. "Acts like we experienced last night will not discourage me, nor will they drive me off my path." 

Nave is running on the platform that he will restore the Bar to the level of influence and strength that it enjoyed under his previous tenure.