In the most recent instance of the far-right coalition’s waning ranks, the High Court of Israel has issued a temporary order halting the government’s attempt to remove Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.
The court’s decision on Monday came after the country’s most senior legal official, Baharav-Miara, who has been leading the charge against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his corruption trial, was unanimously chosen by the Israeli cabinet.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin made the announcement of the cabinet’s decision and wrote to Baharav-Miara in a letter that warned her against “trying to impose herself on a government that has no trust in her and cannot work with her effectively.”
However, opposition party Yesh Atid and activist groups immediately contacted Israel’s High Court to file urgent petitions to halt the dismissal.
A well-known watchdog organization called the Netanyahu corruption trial a “political appointment” and cited the conflict of interest in the dismissal.
The court then complied with the decision by issuing an injunction suspending the order, clarifying that the government could not appoint a replacement until after further review, with a court hearing scheduled for within 30 days.
Hardline Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi declared the ruling “invalid” and threatened to sue the court on X immediately.
“She must be replaced right away,” she says! he stated. “We follow the rules!” We tell the High Court, “No,” we say!
escalating tensions
Major street demonstrations erupted as a result of Baharav-Miara’s conflict with the government since it took office, with tensions escalating as a result of the government’s divisive judicial reform package, which was first unveiled in 2023.
A vote of no confidence against Baharav-Miara was approved by the Israeli cabinet in March. The legal representative was accused of “inappropriate behavior” by Netanyahu’s office, claiming that her ongoing, substantial disagreements with the government prevented “effective collaboration.”
The attorney general refuted the claims and claimed that the vote of no confidence was intended to “promote loyalty to the government” and “gain limitless power” as part of a wider effort to weaken the judicial system.
A crucial component of the plans was approved by the Israeli parliament a few days later, giving politicians more authority over the appointment of judges, including Supreme Court justices.
Baharav-Miara also had contested the legality of Netanyahu’s decision to fire Shin Bet security agency’s head, Ronen Bar, which the Supreme Court found to be “unlawful.”
In a case known as “Qatargate,” Bar, who resigned from his position when his term ended in June, had been looking into alleged ties between the prime minister’s close aides and Qatar.
Source: Aljazeera
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