Middle East Monitor / December 12, 2024
The Israeli parliament, the Knesset, approved a proposal unanimously on Wednesday to discuss the dismissal of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, Anadolu has reported, citing Israeli media. Fifty-one of 120 Knesset members present voted in favour; the opposition boycotted the vote.
Channel 13 said that the proposal, initiated by Likud MP Avihai Boaron, accuses Baharav-Miara of creating baseless legal barriers and overstepping her authority to hinder government policies. According to far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir writing on social media, the next step is for the government to deliberate on her dismissal. He urged swift action.
The development follows months of tension between Baharav-Miara and the Netanyahu-led government, particularly over her opposition to judicial reforms and her repeated calls for an independent inquiry into Israel’s handling of the 7 October, 2023, cross-border incursion led by the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas. A proposal for such an inquiry was dropped on Wednesday.
In February, Baharav-Miara opposed Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s proposed judicial overhaul, which critics called a “judicial coup”, further straining her relationship with the government.
Baharav-Miara is the first woman to serve as Israeli Attorney General. She has faced accusations from right-wing ministers of acting on “leftist” political motives. Her role means that she oversees law enforcement in Israel, chairs the prosecution in criminal trials and advises the government. She was appointed in February 2022 for a six-year term.
