The Israeli government voted unanimously on Monday to dismiss the country’s Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara in a controversial move that was immediately blocked by a Supreme Court injunction.
“The government has just unanimously approved the proposal of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Yariv Levin to immediately terminate the tenure of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara,” Levin’s spokesperson said in a statement.
Baharav-Miara has often clashed with the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, having criticized its policies, including its plan for controversial judicial reforms, as well as wartime decisions.
Netanyahu and his ministers, in turn, have accused Baharav-Miara of abusing her authority to undermine the government’s policies and destabilize Israel’s rule of law.
Right-wing politicians have longed called for her to be removed and Levin’s move in March to initiate proceedings to dismiss her sparked fierce criticism and a legal challenge.
Critics say the government’s efforts against her are politically motivated. As the head of Israel’s prosecution service, Baharav-Miara is in charge of the system that has indicted Netanyahu on criminal charges. The case is still ongoing, despite Netanyahu’s attempts to have it dismissed.
The opposition has also argued that the government does not have the authority to dismiss the attorney general.
In Israel, an attorney general is appointed for a six-year term by an independent committee, which picks them from a list of candidates nominated by the government. Previously, if a government wanted to dismiss an attorney general before their term was up, it would have to consult the committee. But in June, the Netanyahu government passed a resolution giving itself the power to do so without the committee’s approval.
The vote on Monday was widely expected, and petitions to stop the dismissal were filed with the Supreme Court immediately after the government’s vote. The court issued an injunction blocking it soon after.
The attorney general’s role in Israel holds unique authority, serving as both the government’s legal adviser and a public watchdog. The position is not a political appointment tied to the ruling coalition – something the government has been trying to change as part of its controversial judicial overhaul.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
CNN’s Eugenia Yosef and Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed reporting.