Defying protesters, Israeli gov’t votes to begin dismissal of attorney general

Government ministers vote unanimously to back no-confidence motion against State Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, initiating process for her removal from office.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

The Israeli government voted unanimously Sunday afternoon to back a motion of no-confidence in State Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, while hundreds of anti-Netanyahu protesters rallied in Jerusalem against the vote.

For the sixth day in a row, critics of the government gathered in the capital Sunday to protest Sunday’s hearing against Baharav-Miara, and the decision Thursday to vote in favor of removing Shin Bet internal security agency director Ronen Bar from office.

The government convened at 11:00 a.m. to discuss Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s (Likud) no-confidence motion, which included roughly 800 pages of allegations against Baharav-Miara, who was appointed by the previous government, under then-Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

Among other things, Levin accused Baharav-Miara of injecting her political biases and agenda into her professional opinions as the government’s legal representative; a clear pattern of obstructing government policies; attempts – without legal basis – to prevent appointments by the government; failure to represent the government’s interests in legal proceedings; and abusive and selective enforcement of the law.

Baharav-Miara protested Sunday’s hearing, refusing to attend and instead sending a scathing letter which accused the government of attempting to operate “above the law.”

“The government seeks to be above the law, to act without oversight and checks and balances, even during highly sensitive times – emergencies, public protests against the government, and election periods,” she added.

Justice Minister Levin castigated the Attorney General’s refusal to attend the hearing, claiming it showed the “depth of her contempt for the government and its members.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not attend Sunday’s hearing or vote, abiding by a legal decision limiting his ability to take part in any decision which could be perceived as a conflict of interest in regards to his ongoing criminal trial.

Sunday’s vote marks the first step in the government’s removal of Baharav-Miara from the Attorney General’s office, and is to be followed by hearings in front of an advisory committee headed by former Supreme Court Chief Justice Asher Grunis, known as a judicial minimalist and critic of judicial activism.