Abstract
The Article revisits the debate over contract interpretation, whichhas long preoccupied the Supreme Court, the legislature, andlegal academia in Israel. The debate revolves around thelegitimacy of considering external circumstances when thecontract’s text appears to be unambiguous, the weight attributed to valuesof fairness and reasonableness in the interpretative process, and theappropriate role of the court. The Article analyzes a recent development inthis regard: the Supreme Court ruling in Bibi Roads Earthmoving &Development Ltd. v. Israel Railways Ltd. It critically analyzes the threedifferent opinions written by Justices Uzi Vogelman, Ofer Grosskopf, andAlex Stein, focusing on Justice Stein’s neo-formalistic approach. TheArticle points to difficulties in Justice Stein’s theoretical analysis anddescription of extant law; indicates a discrepancy between the theoreticalanalysis and its implementation; questions the proposition that it ispossible to interpret contracts while disregarding normativeconsiderations; and criticizes the Supreme Court for the confusion it hascreated.
| Original language | Hebrew |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 81-120 |
| Number of pages | 40 |
| Journal | משפטים |
| Volume | נא |
| Issue number | 1 |
| State | Published - 2021 |
RAMBI Publications
- Rambi Publications
- Israel -- Bet ha-mishpaṭ ha-ʻelyon
- Contracts -- Interpretation and construction
- Contracts -- Israel