
The Purse and the Sword
The Trials of Israel's Legal Revolution
Daniel Friedmann(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 18. July 2016
Book
Hardback
416 pages
978-0-19-027850-2 (ISBN)
Description
The Purse and the Sword presents a critical analysis of Israel's legal system in the context of its politics, history, and the forces that shape its society. This book examines the extensive powers that Israel's Supreme Court arrogated to itself since the 1980s and traces the history of the transformation of its legal system and the shifts in the balance of power between the branches of government. Centrally, this shift has put unprecedented power in the
hands of both the Court and Israel's attorney general and state prosecution at the expense of Israel's cabinet, constituting its executive branch, and the Knesset-its parliament. The expansion of judicial power followed the weakening of the political leadership in the wake of the Yom Kippur war of 1973, and the
election results in the following years. These developments are detailed in the context of major issues faced by modern Israel, including the war against terror, the conflict with the Palestinians, the Arab minority, settlements in the West Bank, state and religion, immigration, military service, censorship and freedom of expression, appointments to the government and to public office, and government policies. The aggrandizement of power by the legal system led to a backlash against the Supreme
Court in the early part of the current century, and to the partial rebalancing of power towards the political branches.
hands of both the Court and Israel's attorney general and state prosecution at the expense of Israel's cabinet, constituting its executive branch, and the Knesset-its parliament. The expansion of judicial power followed the weakening of the political leadership in the wake of the Yom Kippur war of 1973, and the
election results in the following years. These developments are detailed in the context of major issues faced by modern Israel, including the war against terror, the conflict with the Palestinians, the Arab minority, settlements in the West Bank, state and religion, immigration, military service, censorship and freedom of expression, appointments to the government and to public office, and government policies. The aggrandizement of power by the legal system led to a backlash against the Supreme
Court in the early part of the current century, and to the partial rebalancing of power towards the political branches.
Reviews / Votes
The Purse and the Sword, by Daniel Friedmann, is a fascinating book. It offers special insights for scholars of comparative constitutional law and followers of Supreme Courts around the world. This book provides all the "juicy details" of what has transpired behind closed doors, while describing and analyzing the expansion of the powers of Israels Supreme Court. * Dr. Joshua Segev, I*CONnect *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
778 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-027850-2 (9780190278502)
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
06/2016
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€68.99
Available for download

E-Book
06/2016
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€54.49
Available for download
Persons
Daniel Friedmann was a Minister of Justice in Israel from 2007-2009. He has been Dean of the Faculty of Law, Tel-Aviv University, was a visiting professor at Harvard Law School, the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Fordham law School, and Queen Mary College, University of London. He is a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, and the recipient of the prestigious Israel Prize in law
Author
Dean of the Faculty of Law, Professor of Law (Emeritus), Tel-Aviv University, and Minister of Justice in Israel, 2007-2009Dean of the Faculty of Law, Professor of Law (Emeritus), Tel-Aviv University, and Minister of Justice in Israel, 2007-2009
Translation