Justice Minister Livni petitioned over Gavison

The petition, signed by, among others, Professor Amnon Rubinstein, Yoav Dotan, Ayal Zamir, Barak Medina, Yuval Shani, Hillel Sommer and Gideon Sapir, called Gavison "a scholar and an admired teacher." The group described Gavison as "tolerant and open to criticism," and as someone "encouraging a frank and fertile dialogue."

The claim that many have raised regarding Gavison's alleged agenda is "not germane," according to the petition, since the selection of justices traditionally has not been based on scrutiny of a candidate's position on controversial issues.

"This approach is what has ensured the apolitical character of the appointments and public faith in the justice system, and has led to pluralism among the justices of the High Court," the petition stated. "We believe that deviating from this approach may harm the standing of the court, and strengthen elements seeking to politicize the system of selecting judges."