Israeli Government Votes To Dismiss Attorney General, Escalating Standoff With Judiciary

JERUSALEM — The Israeli Cabinet connected Monday voted unanimously to occurrence nan lawyer general, escalating a long-running standoff betwixt Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and nan judiciary that critics spot arsenic a threat to nan country’s antiauthoritarian institutions.

The Supreme Court froze nan move while it considers nan legality.

Netanyahu and his supporters impeach Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara of exceeding her powers by blocking decisions by nan elected government, including a move to occurrence nan caput of Israel’s home information agency, different ostensibly apolitical office. She has said location is simply a conflict of liking because Netanyahu and respective erstwhile aides look a bid of criminal investigations.

Critics impeach Netanyahu, who is on proceedings for corruption, of undermining judicial independency and seeking to ore powerfulness successful nan hands of his conjugation government, the astir nationalist and belief successful Israel’s history. Netanyahu denies nan allegations and says he is nan unfortunate of a witch hunt by dispute judicial officials egged connected by nan media.

An effort by Netanyahu’s authorities to overhaul nan judiciary successful 2023 sparked months of wide protests, and galore judge it weakened nan state up of Hamas’ Oct. 7 onslaught later that twelvemonth that triggered the warfare successful nan Gaza Strip.

The Movement for Quality Government successful Israel, a salient watchdog group, said it revenge an emergency petition pinch nan Supreme Court pursuing Monday’s vote. It said much than 15,000 citizens person joined nan petition, calling nan dismissal “illegal” and “unprecedented.”

In a statement, nan group accused nan authorities of changing dismissal procedures only aft failing to legally region Baharav-Miara nether nan existing rules. It besides cited a conflict of liking related to Netanyahu’s ongoing trial.

“This determination turns nan domiciled of nan lawyer wide into a governmental appointment,” nan group said. “The ineligible conflict will proceed until this flawed determination is overturned.”