The Israeli cabinet began on Sunday's unconfidence motion for the country's attorney general and began firing her. Critics of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was part of his efforts to curb the judicial and purge the independence of officials who he believed were unfaithful.
Mr. Netanyahu and his allies accused Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara of undermining them. The vote of disconfidence in her, and the cabinet's approval a few days before the fired Israeli domestic intelligence chief, has re-caused the street protests over the government's plan to overhaul the judiciary before the war with Hamas.
Ms. Baharav-Miara said in a letter to the cabinet on Sunday that the motion of distrust was not part of the formal process and was a legal requirement for her removal. She added that Mr. Netanyahu's government tried to “move beyond the law, without checks and balances, even when it was most sensitive”, referring to the Gaza war.
Legal experts say the firing of Ms. Baharav-Miara could be a week-long process as the long-term examination is designed to protect her character independence. Her dismissal will be first considered by a special appointment committee that currently lacks certain members and cannot be called until the vacancy is filled.
Israel’s Attorney General and Deputy Prime Minister Yariv Levin brought the motion of distrust before the cabinet, issued a statement after the decision saying that the full support of the minister and its harsh remarks on Baharav-Miara “tests the strength of the rift caused by Baharav-Miara on the Attorney General’s relationship with the government.”
Mr Levin said he would follow due process for her dismissal, but added that he wanted her to resign immediately, “in this case any honest person can do it” in order to allow her successor to choose her successor without delay. Ms. Baharav-Miara was called to the cabinet meeting but chose not to attend.
Intelligence official Mr. Netanyahu opposes Ronen Bar and sends a stinging letter to the government calling for the procedure to launch illegally and says the Prime Minister's motives are “fundamentally flawed”.
The country's Supreme Court has frozen Mr. Bell's dismissal before the hearing.
Mr. Netanyahu said he was strengthening Israeli democracy, curbing what he described as excessive behavior of unelected officials, and giving more power to the elected government. But his opponents see the move as part of the Prime Minister's joint efforts to eliminate checks on his power and to expel those he believes are personally unfaithful.
Ms. Baharav-Miara, 65, was appointed Attorney General in 2022, while Mr. Netanyahu did not lead the Israeli government. Since Mr. Netanyahu returned to power later that year, the two have repeatedly fought for policies, including judicial overhaul.
In Israel, the Attorney General has the power to issue legally binding decisions on the government, including notifying officials that the policies they want to formulate violate the law. This makes Ms. Baharav-Miara's position one of the few checks for the enforcement of Israel, a country without a formal constitution.
Ms. Baharav-Miara also oversees the judicial system, which is prosecuting Mr. Netanyahu for allegations of corruption in three separate cases. The Prime Minister has been testifying during years of trials, denied wrongdoing.
“This is the worst conflict of interest imaginable,” said Amir Fuchs, a legal expert at the Israel Institute for Democracy, a nonpartisan research group in Jerusalem. “There is a situation where a government without a defendant-led lead could fire its prosecutors.”
Mr. Netanyahu's critics point to the new Attorney General's ability to suspend or even cancel corruption trials.
Last week, Mr. Bar, head of the Israeli Domestic Intelligence Agency, fired Mr. Bell. Mr. Netanyahu said Mr. Bell lost trust due to unspecified differences. Mr. Bell then asserted that his loyalty was loyalty to the Israeli public.
Under Mr Bar's guidance, Shin Bet has been investigating potential Qatar's intervention in Israeli decision-making, including inside Netanyahu's own office. In his letter to the government, Mr. Netanyahu was motivated by a “serious conflict of interest” when he was dismissed, which was distributed by his office.
Despite the Cabinet’s decision Sunday, neither Mr. Netanyahu nor his allies could fire Baharav-Miara as quickly as Mr. Baer. Instead, they will most likely need to follow elaborate procedures involving separate committees and multiple hearings, and the matter is expected to end in court.
