Israel court halts gov't firing of attorney general investigating Netanyahu

Al Jazeera

4 days ago

The High Court of Israel has issued a temporary order freezing an attempt by the government to dismiss Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, in the latest instance of the far-right coalition closing ranks.
The court's decision on Monday came immediately after the Israeli cabinet voted unanimously to fire Baharav-Miara, the country's most senior legal official, who has been leading the prosecution of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his corruption trial.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin announced the cabinet's decision and addressed a letter to Baharav-Miara saying she 'should not try to impose herself on a government that has no trust in her and cannot work with her effectively'.
However, immediately after the decision, opposition party Yesh Atid and activist groups filed urgent petitions to Israel's High Court seeking to halt the dismissal.
The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, a prominent watchdog group, cited the conflict of interest over Netanyahu's corruption trial and said the dismissal effectively turned the role of attorney general into a 'political appointment'.
In response, the court issued an injunction suspending the decision, clarifying that the government could not strip Baharav-Miara of her authority or name a replacement until further review, with a court hearing set to take place within 30 days.
Immediately after the court ruling, hardline Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi vowed on X not to obey the court order, declaring it 'invalid'.
'A replacement for her must be appointed immediately!' he said. 'We obey the law! We say to the High Court – no!'
Escalating tensions
Baharav-Miara has been at loggerheads with the government since it took office, with tensions escalating over the government's divisive judicial reform package, which was first unveiled in 2023, sparking major street protests.
Back in March, the Israeli cabinet had passed a vote of no confidence against Baharav-Miara. Netanyahu's office accused the legal official of 'inappropriate behaviour', claiming that her 'ongoing substantial differences of opinion' with the government prevented 'effective collaboration'.
The attorney general had refuted the claims and said the vote of no confidence was aimed at gaining 'limitless power, as part of a wider move to weaken the judicial branch' and to 'promote loyalty to the government'.
Days later, the Israeli parliament passed a key component of the plans, which critics have branded as a 'judicial coup', effectively giving politicians more power over the appointments of judges, including Supreme Court justices.
Baharav-Miara had also challenged the legality of Netanyahu's attempt to fire Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet security agency, which the Supreme Court declared 'unlawful'.
Bar, who stepped down from his role when his term ended in June, had been conducting a probe into alleged ties between the prime minister's close aides and Qatar, a case known in the Israeli press as 'Qatargate'.
The former Shin Bet head had also refused to sign off on a security request aimed at relieving Netanyahu from testifying at his ongoing corruption trial.
Serious charges of bribery, fraud and breach of public trust – including for allegedly taking lavish gifts from businessmen in return for political favours and striking policy and regulatory deals for more favourable news coverage – mean he could be facing up to 10 years in prison.
Netanyahu has been accused of dragging out and even exacerbating the Gaza war to stay in power and avoid the trial, which began in 2020.
US President Donald Trump, however, has come to Netanyahu's defence, urging Israel to pardon him and calling the prosecutors targeting him 'out of control'. Trump has even suggested the US could leverage its aid to Israel to protect Netanyahu.