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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 February 2016
Any attempt to review twenty-five years of legislation and judicial criminal procedure in twenty-five minutes is frustrating, since we have at our disposal one minute for each year of activity. This impossible task was imposed upon my colleagues and myself by the organizers of this important convention, apparently in the belief that Israelis are never deterred by difficult and even hopeless missions.
We shall divide our discussion on criminal procedure into two parts: firstly, a brief history of legislation, and secondly, an examination of the accused's fundamental rights as they are protected in Israel after twenty-five years of statehood, and a partial survey of the Supreme Court's contribution to finding a reasonable balance between the defence of human rights and a guarantee of effectiveness in combating delinquency and bringing delinquents to punishment. The entire discussion will be in general terms, and many of the details mentioned will be no more than selected drops from the ocean of criminal procedure.
1 Criminal Procedure Law, 1965, sec. 210 (19 L.S.I. 158)Google Scholar; Military Justice Law, 1955, sec. 460 (9 L.S.I. 184).Google Scholar
2 Haim Cohn J. served as Attorney General, 1949–1960; in this capacity he initiated a series of bills for presentation to the Knesset.
3 Moshe Landau J. serves as the chairman of the Committee on Criminal Procedure, whose function is to examine issues requiring modification and improvement in the field of criminal procedure.
4 E.g., Criminal Procedure (Trial upon Information) Ordinance (1 L.S.I. 475)Google Scholar, Release on Bail Ordinance, 1944, P.G. (1944) supp. 1, no. 1359, p. 83Google Scholar; Magistrates' Courts Jurisdiction Ordinance, (1947) P.G. (1947) supp. 1, no. 1612, p. 277Google Scholar; Criminal Procedure (Summary Trial by District Courts) Ordinance (1964) P.G. supp. 1, no. 1543, p. 271Google Scholar; some sections of the Ottoman Law of Criminal Procedure, 1879 were still in force.
5 7 L.S.I. 124.
6 Sec. 14: “The Minister of Justice shall prescribe rules for the administration of the Courts and shall entrust their implementation to a judge, who shall be responsible to him”.
7 Capital punishment may only be imposed under the following enactments: a) Defence (Emergency) Regulations, 1945; b) Nazi and Nazi Collaborators (Punishment) Law, 1950 (4 L.S.I. 154)Google Scholar; c) Military Justice Law, 1955, sec. 43 (treason) (19 L.S.I. 158)Google Scholar; d) Penal Law Revision (State Security) Law, 1957, secs. 6–8 (11 L.S.I. 186).Google Scholar
8 8 L.S.I. 206.
9 L.S.I. 102.
10 Supra n. 1.
11 Supra n. 1.
12 Emergency Regulations (Offences committed in Israel-held Areas—Jurisdiction and Legal Assistance) (Extension of Validity) Law, 1967 (22 L.S.I. 20).
13 Criminal Procedure (Arrest and Searches) Ordinance, 1969 [New Version] (No. 12) 2 L.S.I. (N.V.) 30.Google Scholar
14 24 L.S.I. 112.
15 25 L.S.I. 128.
16 (1937) P.G. supp. 1, no. 667, p. 137.
17 Criminal Procedure Law (Amendment no. 2) Bill, 1971 (1970/71) H.H. no. 967, p. 77.Google Scholar
18 Criminal Procedure Law (Amendment no. 3) Bill, 1972 (1971/72) H.H. no. 1015, p. 425.Google Scholar
19 Criminal Procedure Law (Amendment no. 4) Bill, 1973 (1972/73) H.H. no. 1058, p. 273.Google Scholar
20 Criminal Procedure Law (Amendment no. 2) 1973 (1972/73) S.H. no. 709, p. 224.Google Scholar
21 (1950) 4 P.D. 34.
22 (1951) 5 P.D. 1602.
23 Shimshi v. State of Israel (1972) (I) 26 P.D. 654.
24 (1954) 8 P.D. 975.
25 (1956) 10 P.D. 972.
26 Libai, , “Arrest without Warrant by a Police Officer: Grounds for the Arrest” (1972) 2 Iyunei Mishpat 341.Google Scholar
27 Hirsh v. A.G. (1949) 2 P.D. 55.
28 Libai, , “Arrest and Bail Proceedings in Tel-Aviv Magistrates' Courts” (1973) 3 Iyunei Mishpat 516.Google Scholar
29 El-Nakib v. A.G. (1958) 12 P.D. 850.
30 23 L.S.I. 246.
31 Penal Law Revision (Amendment no. 35) Law, 1973, sec. 20(c) (1973) S.H. no. 695, p. 142.
32 Egged (Eshed) Ltd. at al. v. Sapir et al. (1958) 12 P.D. 739, 751.
33 Criminal Procedure Law, 1965, sec. 27.
34 (1963) 17 P.D. 1541, 1570.
35 (1967) (II) 21 P.D. 183, 185.
36 Libai, op. cit. supra n. 28.
37 See, supra n. 18 at sec. 2.
38 Criminal Procedure Law, 1965, sec. 13.
39 (1963) 17 P.D. 2465.
40 (1972) (I) 26 P.D. 667, 668.
41 (1949) 2 P.D. 810.
42 (1953) 7 P.D. 332.
43 Levy v. A.G. (1953) 7 P.D. 926, 929.
44 Legal Aid Law, 1972, 26 L.S.I. 115Google Scholar. [For a detailed discussion of this Law and an English translation of it, see Lieberman, , “Israel's Legal Aid Law: Remedy for Injustice?” (1974) 9 Is.L.R. 413 (Ed.)].Google Scholar
45 See supra n. 18 at sec. 2.
46 Criminal Procedure Law, 1965 sec. 68.
47 Zinder v. Head of Investigation Department of the Police (1951) 5 P.D. 509, 516 (per Agranat J.).
48 Id. at 518.
49 Id. at 520.
50 Malka et al. v. A.G. (1950) 4 P.D. 429, 436.
51 Otsen v. A.G. (1959) 13 P.D. 193 (per Agranat J.).
52 See sees. 67–74.
53 Chial v. A.G. (1953) 7 P.D. 1169.
54 Criminal Procedure Law, sec. 116.
55 Id. sec. 118 (2).
56 Id. sec. 118 (1).
57 Id. sec. 119.
58 Id. sec. 119a.
59 Id. sec. 119A (9).
60 Id. sec. 214.
61 11 L.S.I. 194.
62 X. v. State of Israel (1970) (I) 24 P.D. 477.
63 Courts law, 1957, sec. 42.
64 Criminal Procedure Law, sec. 120.
