The human-centered paradigm in Israeli administrative law: synergy between the continental and Anglo-Saxon approaches

Research into the prerequisites for the formation of law as a social construct always takes place in an atmosphere of lively debate. Given the current trends in the accumulation of large amounts of information and the emergence of tools that allow it to be processed fairly quickly, it is not particularly difficult for researchers to study the characteristics of law in different countries, identify similarities and differences, etc. On the one hand, the Israeli legal tradition has several millennia of history. On the other hand, it was in the 20th century that the independent State of Israel appeared on the world map and, over the next few decades, achieved impressive results in various fields. Its founding fathers had no doubts about the successful implementation of this ambitious project, despite the desperate resistance of other Middle Eastern countries, which usually led to military conflicts that ended in victory for the Jewish state and its heroic people. However, military organization, patriotism, and ingenuity alone are not enough to be one of the most developed countries not only in its region but also in the world. The formation of a national legal system is one of the important prerequisites for Israel’s existence in conditions of constant armed conflict. In our study, we will focus on highlighting certain aspects of the reception and, subsequently, the integration of human-centeredness into the administrative law of the Israeli state. The experience gained by lawyers who worked in Mandatory Palestine, immigrants from the United States and Eastern Europe, formed a unique legal system that quickly helped to build not only a modern system of public authorities, but also to ensure an appropriate level of public governance, the provision of public services, the functioning of public authorities, and an adequate level of judicial protection. The use of the best practices of American, British, and German legal traditions has given the judicial system a decisive role in controlling the activities of public authorities in their relations with private individuals. In this regard, the use of Israeli experience in the development and improvement of administrative law may be useful for Ukrainian legislators due to the existing need to ensure respect for human rights and to improve the functioning of public authorities and judicial bodies during the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war. It has been established that, along with the influence of common law, the development of human-centeredness in Israeli administrative law was influenced by the German legal tradition, which, in one form or another, was used in their work by lawyers who were educated in the early 20th century at leading German law schools.