President Isaac Herzog to the incoming president of the IDF Military Court of Appeals, the first woman in the role: “You have the privilege of being the first woman to be appointed to lead the military courts. Your appointment sends an important message to many female officers and soldiers, and to women in general.”

President Isaac Herzog spoke today at the swearing-in ceremony of two military judges at the President’s Residence: Brig. Gen. Orli Markman, who has been appointed the president of the IDF Military Court of Appeals with a promotion to the rank of major-general, and Col. Maya Goldschmidt, who has been appointed a judge at the IDF Military Court of Appeals.

Supreme Court President Esther Hayut, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar, IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi, Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer Yerushalmi, members of the General Staff, military judges, and the families of the new judges also attended the ceremony.

President Isaac Herzog began his remarks by saying: “The military courts system operates at a supremely complicated and challenging intersection. Judges, sitting in judgment, are officers in uniform—but their commitment gives expression to, and constantly confronts them with, besides their understanding of operational aspects and constraints, strict care for the values of the IDF and of the state. This professional and ethical challenge becomes all the more acute, and this complexity intensifies tenfold, when it comes to the highest and most important tribunal: the IDF Military Court of Appeals, which judges the most sensitive matters, and requires a most complicated balancing act.”

The President continued and said: “The past few years have handed the military justice system, and the Military Court of Appeals in particular, many complicated and sensitive cases, some of which stood at the center of public discourse and debate. Even as storms raged around them, the military judges continued performing their mission without prejudice, with careful judgment, and out of a commitment to law and justice. All this illustrates something of the scale of the mission and the significance of the responsibility placed on the shoulders of the president of the Military Court of Appeals.”

The President added: “The public’s trust in its law enforcement system, military and civil alike, is a cornerstone of the democratic system. We must protect this trust at any cost.

“It is proper at this point to recall the magnificent work of Maj. Gen. Doron Feiles in over three decades of military service, primarily as a military judge in various tribunals. The great trust that the military courts enjoy is a direct result of your mode of leadership and management. I am confident that we will continue to be blessed by him—as a nation and as a state.”

The President wished the new military judges success and gave them his blessing: “New president, Maj. Gen. Orli Markman—you have reached this position because you are an impressive officer by any measure, at the end of a successful career of many years as a prosecutor, a defense lawyer, and a judge. You have the privilege of being the first woman to be appointed to lead the military courts. Your appointment sends an important message to many female officers and soldiers, and to women in general. I also send my warmest wishes for your success, Judge Col. Maya Goldschmidt, who today joins the small and honorable forum of judges of the IDF Military Court of Appeals.

“The military justice system is a precious asset not just for the IDF, but for our state and society in general. Keep this asset safe from all harm; guarantee the continued existence of this system, before which all are equal, faithful to law and justice. My congratulations to you, and the best of success!”

Defense Minister Benny Gantz: “You have been chosen for these significant roles solely because of your experience and skills. In addition, you and the most senior female officers also bear a responsibility to serve as an example for all female soldiers, to echo the sound of the fracturing glass ceiling—on bases across the country, in the General Staff, and in various institutions. At this time, the military-judicial roles with which you have been entrusted receive all the more importance in the protection of the norms and values of the IDF.”  

“Punishment is indeed necessary for whoever does not observe these norms and rules—but punishment is not the be all and end all, absolutely not. No less important is the lessons-learned process, and sometimes also soul-searching about missions and training at the highest command echelons. Only if we pick the open wounds—will we protect the IDF.”

IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi: “Today we appoint two fine, excellent officers who I have no doubt will continue the high-caliber tradition of the military justice system. We demand that IDF commanders lead with values, without our needing warning signals from the justice system—of course it is needed, and it is indispensable, but values and norms should take the lead, not laws and regulations.

“Our foundation is not only the justice of our cause, with which I began,  but also the justice of our path. Our path is one of values. It is a strong motivating force for soldiers and commanders in the Israel Defense Forces. We are making every effort to entrench norms. The justice system, in all its dimensions, helps us protect these values and norms, and to protect its motivating force—the justice of our path.

“One doesn’t need law to know that you don’t leave an 80-year-old man in the cold, during operational activity, no matter whether he’s 80 years old or 18. You need judgment, values, and humanity, and you don’t need law for it. The responsibility for the norms and values of the Israel Defense Forces belongs to us, from commanders to the lowest-ranking soldiers, and of course the whole chain of command in the middle.

“We demand that our commanders lead with values without needing warning signals from the justice system—of course it is needed, but responsibility for the IDF’s norms and values belongs to us, the commanders.

“Orli, you are an extremely experienced, thorough, and balanced officer. I trust you. Doron, at this opportunity, I want to express my thanks and admiration.”