Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
One day after the government approved the dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, a new political showdown is brewing. Justice Minister Yariv Levin is set to introduce a no-confidence motion against Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara at Sunday’s Cabinet meeting, intensifying the Netanyahu government’s efforts to reshape key legal institutions.
According to the official agenda distributed to ministers, the government will be asked to express no confidence in Baharav-Miara, citing what the proposal calls her "inappropriate conduct" and "ongoing fundamental disagreements" that allegedly prevent effective cooperation between the executive and legal branches.
3 View gallery
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photo: Yoav Dudkevitch, Alex Kolomoisky, Reuters)
A detailed 83-page annex attached to the proposal includes a letter Levin circulated earlier this month accusing Baharav-Miara of serving as “an extended arm of the opposition” from the first day of the current government. Levin has been publicly critical of Israel's legal framework, describing the attorney general’s powers as extraordinary compared to other democracies.
Levin wrote that the position of attorney general in Israel—while not a political appointment—is endowed with extensive authority that, in his view, has turned the role into one of “unprecedented power and political interference.”
In sharp language, Levin claimed Baharav-Miara had created a “tyrannical, at times aggressive and destructive political force” within the government and used her position to advance political agendas under the guise of legal professionalism. He accused her of operating with bias, exploiting political divisions and undermining public trust in the legal system. Her tenure, he wrote, "will be remembered as a stain" on the office.
The Cabinet vote marks only the first stage in a lengthy process that could lead to Baharav-Miara’s removal. Should the motion pass, the issue will move to the official search and review committee for the attorney general position, currently chaired by former Supreme Court Chief Justice Asher Grunis, who initially opposed her appointment. Other members include Bar Association representative Tami Ullman and law professor Ron Shapira. Levin is expected to add a coalition-aligned former justice minister to the committee.
The committee would review cases in which Baharav-Miara declined to represent ministers before the High Court of Justice or blocked actions she deemed illegal. She would also be summoned to testify and present her defense. While the committee’s recommendation is influential, the government is not legally bound by it. Ultimately, the High Court of Justice is expected to have the final say.
Former Likud minister Moshe Nissim told Ynet's sister publication Yedioth Ahronoth that he would not serve on the committee, despite reports that Levin approached him. “I will not be part of the committee, period,” he said, refusing to elaborate further.
In a rare and united response, all former attorneys general—including Aharon Barak, Yehuda Weinstein, Avichai Mandelblit and others—issued a joint statement warning that dismissing Baharav-Miara would cause severe harm to the independence of the office and the rule of law in Israel.
“We are deeply concerned and strongly oppose this move,” the former officials wrote. “The attorney general’s role is not only to advise the government within the law, but to act as the public’s primary guardian of the rule of law and democratic values.” They praised Baharav-Miara for performing her duties "with courage and impartiality" and warned that the government’s refusal to follow legal guidance does not justify her removal.
“There is no legal basis for this move,” they concluded. “Her dismissal would severely damage the attorney general’s independence and the legal system’s ability to uphold the rule of law.”