by JNS
Thirteen Cabinet members sign letter decrying Gali Baharav-Miara's "deliberate thwarting" of government policy
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| Israelis protest against and in support of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, outside her home in Tel Aviv on Nov. 20, 2024. Photo by Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90. |
On Tuesday, Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi unveiled a campaign to dismiss Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. The move has garnered support from 13 of the 33 members of the Cabinet.
Karhi’s letter, addressed to Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fox, accuses Baharav-Miara of “deliberately thwarting government policy for political reasons” and “inventing absurd legal impediments.”
The initiative comes almost one month after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tasked Justice Minister Yariv Levin with finding a solution to what he termed adversarial legal advice from the attorney general. (The title in Hebrew translates as “legal adviser to the government.”)
The push to remove Baharav-Miara is part of a broader conflict between the government and the judiciary. Netanyahu has previously criticized the Attorney General’s Office for approving what he deemed illegal actions under the previous government, including a maritime border agreement with Lebanon and key appointments during a transitional period.
Support for Karhi’s initiative spans coalition parties, with signatories including seven ministers from Likud, two from United Torah Judaism, three from Otzma Yehudit and one from Religious Zionism. Notably absent are signatures from Shas Party ministers, highlighting potential fractures within the coalition on this issue.
Baharav-Miara has been at odds with the coalition on several fronts, including her opposition to bills expanding police use of spyware and changes to television ratings measurements. She has also clashed with the government over ultra-Orthodox military draft exemptions and daycare subsidies.
The push for the attorney general’s dismissal is not limited to the political echelon. Recently, the father of a hostage held in Gaza appealed to Israel’s legal leadership to “let the IDF win,” reflecting frustration with legal constraints on military action.
Adding to the complex legal landscape, the Israel Prison Service chief and senior police officers were recently detained in a corruption probe, further straining relations between government bodies and the judiciary.
Baharav-Miara’s has also taken a very assertive stance against a member of the government, with several reports suggesting that she may demand that Netanyahu fire National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over his conduct during the ongoing war with Hamas.
Karhi has said that “The time has come to act,” framing the attorney general’s removal as necessary for Israeli democracy.
JNS
Source: https://www.jns.org/israeli-ministers-push-to-oust-attorney-general/
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