Israel Studies: An Anthology -Between Basic Norms and Basic Laws Between Basic Norms and Basic Laws: Human Rights and the Supreme Court in Israel By Doron Shultziner * (August 2009) Introduction: Basic Norms Coincidentally, the year 1948 marks the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel (May 14) as well as the enactment of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration on Human Rights (December 10). The preambles of both declarations mention the atrocities of World War II as a motivating historical cause for their enactment, and both include a commitment to democratic and universal principles of human rights. The two documents serve as a useful point of entry and reference regarding the topic of human rights in Israel. The signatories of the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel (henceforth “Declaration of Independence”) committed themselves and the newfound state to universal principles of human rights and basic fairness in a paragraph immediately following the declaration of the independence of the state itself: THE STATE OF ISRAEL will be open for Jewish immigration and for the Ingathering of the Exiles; will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace as http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/isdf/text/shultziner.html (1 of 33) [1/12/2011 10:37:38 AM]