Israel's Judicial System

The judiciary watches over the rule of law and individual rights. The fact that there is not complete written constitution and bill of rights, plus the regulations that still remain from British Mandatory rule and the wide powers of the legislative branch, make the judiciary in Israel a very important part of the government.

There are two main components to the judicial system in Israel: the General Law courts, and the other authorities with judicial power. The General Law courts are known as civil, or regular, courts. The Basic Law: The Judiciary states three levels of courts: the magistrate courts (local level), district courts, and the Supreme Court. The magistrate and district courts are courts with trials, and the Supreme Court deals with appeals. There are no juries in any type of court in Israel.

The military courts, the labor courts and the religious courts are the most important types of authority with judicial powers, other than what is stated above. Each tribunal (court) all operates on the judicial system, but they deal with certain material. The success of the judicial system in Israel in enforcing the law is greatly due to the independence given to judges.