The government, under my leadership, will act to implement the

“The government, under my leadership, will act to implement the rule of law and to maintain the independence of the judicial system, which is one of the pillars of maintaining a democratic system.” Thus spoke Ariel Sharon, a soldier-turned-statesman, whose life spanned the battlefield and the council chamber, who knew that victory in war means little if justice is lost in peace. His words are not the hollow promise of a politician, but the solemn creed of one who has seen nations rise and fall on the strength of their laws. For the rule of law is the shield that guards liberty, and the independence of the judiciary is the hand that keeps that shield from being seized by tyranny.

The ancients, too, understood this truth. When the Greek city-states rose from the chaos of war, they bound themselves not to kings, but to law — to reason set above the passions of men. Solon, the wise Athenian, declared that justice must be blind to wealth and power, for once the law bends to favor, freedom begins to die. So it has been in every age: when rulers place themselves above the law, corruption spreads like rot through the heart of the state. Sharon, having fought to defend his nation’s borders, knew that the greater battle was not fought with weapons, but with principle — the battle to ensure that government remains the servant of justice, not its master.

In the history of Israel, this truth carried heavy weight. Born from struggle and surrounded by uncertainty, the young nation had to hold itself to a higher standard. Its survival could not rest on force alone; it needed law, impartial and enduring, to bind together people of many voices and beliefs. Ariel Sharon, who had once commanded armies, now commanded a government — and he knew the danger of power unrestrained. The independence of the judicial system was the line that must never be crossed, the pillar that holds the house of democracy upright even when the winds of conflict rage.

One can see the reflection of Sharon’s warning in the fall of Rome, where once mighty laws were hollowed out by ambition. The Republic had prided itself on justice, yet as emperors rose, the courts became tools of fear, the Senate a shadow of its former self. The people still spoke the words of liberty, but the rule of law had been replaced by the rule of men. Thus, what was once the beacon of civilization sank into despotism, not by sudden invasion, but by the slow corruption of its institutions. Sharon’s words, like those of the philosophers of old, remind us that no nation falls more completely than the one that betrays its own laws.

Yet his statement carries not only warning, but hope. For when the rule of law stands firm, it gives even the smallest citizen the strength of a thousand voices. The independent judge, bound not to party or power but to truth, becomes the guardian of the voiceless and the arbiter between might and right. Democracy is not sustained by elections alone, but by the constant vigilance of institutions that prevent authority from devouring freedom. Sharon’s promise, then, was a vow to uphold the delicate balance that keeps liberty alive — the understanding that justice must be free from command, even from those who claim to defend it.

Consider the story of Cincinnatus, the Roman farmer who was given absolute power in a time of crisis. He led his people to victory — and then, though he could have ruled as a king, he laid down his authority and returned to his plow. Such men, like Sharon envisioned for his own nation, understand that leadership finds its greatness not in the hoarding of power, but in the restraint of it. To protect the law even when it limits one’s own strength is the highest form of honor.

So let this teaching be carried forward to all generations: law is not a chain that binds the strong; it is the light that guides the just. A free nation must cherish its judiciary as the heart that beats justice into its people’s lives. To corrupt it is to poison that heart; to defend it is to ensure the life of the nation itself. If ever power tempts you to twist the truth, remember that no victory built upon injustice endures.

And thus, in the spirit of Sharon’s words, let every citizen — whether ruler or ruled — become a guardian of the rule of law. Demand integrity. Defend the courts from political claws. Teach your children that freedom is not a gift, but a discipline. For democracy is not kept by might, nor by pride, but by the steadfast courage to uphold justice, even when it costs us power, comfort, or acclaim. Only then can a people remain truly independent, and only then can the promise of liberty endure beyond the fleeting lives of men.