Israel Swears in First Arab Muslim Supreme Court Judge

Israel on Tuesday swore in the first Arab Muslim to serve as in the country’s highest court as a Supreme Court justice.

It marked the first such appointment for a Muslim. While Israel has appointed Arab Israelis in the past as justices, they have all been Christians.

Judge Khaled Kabub was sworn in at a ceremony at the Israeli President’s Residence in Jerusalem, attended by President Isaac Herzog, Supreme Court President Esther Hayut, and Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar.

Kabub, 63, most recently served as vice president of the Tel Aviv District Court.

In another first, the Judicial Appointments Committee also appointed a Jewish woman from Mizrahi descent as one of the four justices. Mizrahi Jews mostly come from Arab, Muslim-majority nations who were persecuted in their home countries after the state of Israel was established.

The news of his appointment as the highest judge in the land first broke in February, shortly after human rights group Amnesty International accused Israel of being an apartheid state.