Plenum to debate firing of A-G on Wednesday, all coalition factions in support

Among the attorney-general’s responsibilities are providing legal advice to the government, representing the government in petitions against it, and overseeing the state prosecution apparatus.

By YAKI ADAMKER DECEMBER 2, 2024 16:55

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the Knesset plenum, November 18, 2024 (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)

For the first time, the Knesset plenum will hold a debate on Wednesday to discuss the option to dismiss Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara.

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana (Likud) approved the proposal in a meeting on Monday, in which lawmakers from Likud, Religious Zionist Party, United Torah Judaism, and Otzma Yehudit solidified the proposal around the question: Why has the attorney-general not been fired from her role after “significant and continuous differences between the government and the attorney-general, differences that prevent efficient cooperation.”

Justice Minister Yariv Levin will eventually need to issue the parliament a response as to why he hasn’t fired her yet.

This move follows several steps taken and statements made by MKs against Baharav-Miara.

The proposal was pushed by MKs Avihai Boaron (Likud), Ohad Tal (RZP), Limor Son Har-Melech (Otzma Yehudit), and Yitzhak Pindrus (UTJ).

Because these are only discussion proposals, they don’t carry much practical weight in the realm of firing the A-G, and at most, the proposals will be raised for further discussion in Knesset committees.

FINANCE MINISTER Bezalel Smotrich addresses the Knesset plenum, earlier this year. While the government is busy formulating the state budget for 2025, it appears that the war has become a convenient excuse to ignore the deep social crisis in which Israel finds itself, the writer argues. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)

What does the Attorney-General do?

Among the attorney-general’s responsibilities are providing legal advice to the government, representing the government in petitions against it in the High Court of Justice, and overseeing the state prosecution apparatus. Since the current government’s inception in December 2022, Baharav-Miara has deemed many government initiatives “not legally viable.”

A notable example of this has been her opposition to government initiatives to extend the exemption of haredi (ultra-Orthodox) men from IDF service, despite a High Court ruling in June that the exemption was illegal.

Boaron said on Monday, “Unfortunately… the A-G is preventing the productive functioning of the government and the ministers and is stopping them from applying their policies, which they vowed to the public they would do.” He added that the disagreements applied across the board when it came to policy.

On Thursday, nearly half of the cabinet ministers signed a letter demanding that she be fired.

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If more than half of the cabinet ministers sign the letter, cabinet secretary Yossi Fuchs must take steps to advance the proposal, according to a spokesperson for Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi.

Eliav Breuer contributed to this report.