The lesson that must be learned from Poland

Sever Plocker writes about the political-legal crisis in Poland, where clashes between the government and the president over the judicial system threaten the country's stability. He points to the Israeli lesson: the independence of the judiciary is essential for democracy.

Sever Plocker writes an opinion piece on the political-legal crisis in Poland, pointing out lessons for Israel. He describes how the nationalist-conservative Law and Justice party, after its victory in the 2015 elections, launched a campaign to take over the judicial system, purging judges and appointing 'so-called judges' on behalf of the coalition. After the victory of the center-liberal bloc led by Donald Tusk in October 2023, the repeal of the judicial coup was placed at the top of the agenda, but the Law and Justice-affiliated president, Karol Nawrocki, sabotaged the process. In recent weeks, violent protests have intensified in front of the Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw, and President Nawrocki intervened in the confrontation. Plocker concludes that the Poles now understand that the independence of the judiciary is a guarantee of democracy, and states: 'Their war is our war.'

The lesson that must be learned from Poland