Government advances dismissal of A-G Gali Baharav-Miara
The coalition is advancing the dismissal of Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara, Israeli media reported on Wednesday.
According to Israeli media reports, the move comes amid what Levin described as an "unprecedented crisis of trust" between the attorney-general and the government.
The draft proposes that a ministerial committee be authorized to hold a hearing and, if grounds for dismissal are found, to recommend termination of Baharav-Miara's tenure. A 75% majority in the government would then be sufficient to approve her dismissal.
The attorney-general's office declined to comment on the proposed legislation.
The draft argues that the legal consultation process, traditionally required with the attorney-general's selection committee, has become obsolete due to teh scale of distrust and functional paralysis it claims has gripped the government amid wartime. The existing committee - currently incomplete - was the body that originally selected Baharav-Miara and would typically be involved in dismissal deliberations.
"Since the government unanimously expressed no confidence in the attorney-general, cooperation has deteriorated tot he point of dysfunction," the proposal reads. "Given the urgent need for unity during wartime, the government must be free to act decisively and remove officials who obstruct its functioning."
The new process would replace the independent selection committee with a political ministerial body, a move critics say undermines legal oversight. Legal experts anticipate that the change, if implemented, will face legal challenges in the High Court of Justice due to questions over its constitutionality.
Former Knesset Constitution Committee Chair MK Gilad Kariv strongly condemned the plan, calling it "a betrayal of the IDF and the public."
"Levin weakened Israel before October 7, and she hasn't changed course," Kariv said. "This is not about governance - it's about caving to political pressure, especially from the ultra-Orthodox over the draft exemption issue."
Opposition leader Yair Lapid also responded sharply: "Every time the coalition fails to pass a law exempting the Haredim from military service, they try to fire the attorney-general. It's all connected."
Communications Minister Shlomo Karh, however, praised the move as a long-overdue reform. "The attorney-general was never elected and cannot continue to paralyze an elected government," Karhi said. "This is a necessary correction of the Shamgar Committee's excesses."
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir echoed Karhi's sentiment, calling the dismissal proceedings a step toward "defeating the deep state."
"For two and a half years, the attorney-general has blocked every initiative I've tried to promote," Ben Gvir said. "Now the government can act as it was elected to do."
The tension between Baharav-Miara and the government reached a new high in March, when the cabinet approved an 83-page no-confidence proposal prepared by Levin, outlining extensive grievances regarding her conduct. The move formally initiated the process for her potential dismissal.
In response, Baharav-Miara sent a defiant letter to the cabinet, asserting the rule of law: 'We will not be deterred. The government is not above the law.'
If passed, Levin's resolution would mark the first time in Israel's history that an attorney-general has been removed mid-term—a move likely to reshape the balance between the judiciary and the executive branch for years to come.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Washington Post
26 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Two Israeli rights groups say their country is committing genocide in Gaza
TEL AVIV, Israel — Two prominent Israeli rights groups on Monday said their country is committing genocide in Gaza , the first time that local Jewish-led organizations have made such accusations against Israel during nearly 22 months of war. The claims by B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel add to an explosive debate over whether Israel's military offensive in Gaza — launched in response to Hamas' deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack — amounts to genocide.


New York Post
27 minutes ago
- New York Post
Trump says his priority to ensure Gazans are ‘getting fed,' shrugs off push to recognize Palestinian state
WASHINGTON — President Trump said Monday that he isn't 'going to take a position' on recognizing Palestinian statehood — and that his focus is on ensuring starving Palestinians are fed. 'I'm not going to take a position. I don't mind him [British Prime Minister Keir Starmer] taking a position,' the president said when asked about Starmer's assertion that recognition of a Palestinian state is a step toward peace. 'I'm looking for people getting fed right now,' Trump said next to Starmer ahead of their meeting at Trump Turnberry in Scotland. Donald Trump meets British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria Starmer, on the day of a bilateral meeting at Trump Turnberry resort in Turnberry, Scotland, Britain, July 28, 2025. REUTERS Palestinians wait for donated food at a community kitchen, in Gaza City, northern Gaza Strip, Saturday, July 26, 2025. AP 'That's the number one position, you have a lot of starving people,' he added. 'The United States recently, just a couple of weeks ago, we gave $60 million. It's a lot of money. No other nation gave money.' Starmer recently announced plans to airdrop aid to Gaza and had joined dozens of Western nations in raising concerns about the dire conditions on the ground in the war-torn enclave. During his meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday, Trump complained that the US wasn't getting a 'thank you' for the humanitarian aid it marshaled for Gaza and claimed he took political heat for giving the aid. Over the weekend, the Israeli military began allowing airdrops of aid to fall into Gaza. Israel's military also announced plans to establish critical humanitarian corridors for United Nations convoys to enter and disperse aid to starving Palestinians in Gaza. The Israeli Defense Force characterized its shift as being 'aimed at improving the humanitarian response' in Gaza and to 'refute the false claims of deliberate starvation in the Gaza Strip.' Over 250 trucks filled with aid from the UN and other groups entered Gaza on Saturday, which is lower than the roughly 600 trucks per day that entered during the previous ceasefire that fell apart in March.


Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
Trump Threatens 'Stupid' Iran
President Donald Trump ridiculed Iran's continued pursuit of uranium enrichment following U.S. airstrikes on its key nuclear sites last month, expressing disbelief on Sunday at Tehran's persistence despite what he described as a decisive military blow to its ambitions. "They got the hell knocked out of them and they…I don't think they know it," Trump told reporters at his golf course in the Scottish village of Turnberry. He said Iran's insistence on enrichment was "stupid" and vowed to stop the program outright. Newsweek has reached out to the State Department and Iran's Foreign Ministry for comment. Trump's comments marked one of the sharpest threats from Washington since last month's 12-day war, when Israeli and U.S. strikes targeted Iran's nuclear facilities. Despite the losses, Tehran remains defiant on uranium enrichment—a key issue behind decades of U.S.-Iran tensions. The U.S. leader's remarks highlight a growing divide: Iran claims its program is peaceful and scientific, while the U.S. sees enrichment as a path to nuclear weapons—something Trump insists he would never allow. Following a meeting with EU chief Ursula Von der Leyen, Trump expressed surprise at Iran's ongoing pursuit of uranium enrichment. "They still talk about enrichment," he said. "Who would do that? You just come out of something that's so bad, and they talk about, we want to continue enrichment." He added: "How stupid can you be to say that?" Trump also condemned Iran's rhetoric, saying: "Iran has been very nasty with their words, with their mouth. They got the hell knocked out of them and they…I don't think they know it. I actually don't think they know." On June 22, U.S. forces struck Iran's nuclear facilities at Fordow, Esfahan and Natanz, following a 12-day Israeli offensive. In retaliation, Iran launched missile attacks on Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar—the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East—claiming it was a direct response to American aggression. Although Iran reported successful strikes, U.S. and Qatari officials stated that all missiles were intercepted and no casualties or major damage occurred. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi recently reaffirmed that Iran would not abandon its uranium enrichment program. He called the effort both a scientific success and a patriotic symbol. "Our enrichment is so dear to us," Araghchi said. Meanwhile, Iran has said that it would proceed with nuclear negotiations alongside European powers following "serious, frank and detailed" discussions in Istanbul last week. U.S. President Donald Trump: "The whole thing's a con job…Iran was beaten up very badly, for good reason. We cannot have them have a nuclear weapon." Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi: "Obviously we cannot give up our enrichment, because it is an achievement of our own scientists and now more than that, it is a question of national pride." Trump's latest comments indicate the U.S. will continue pressuring Iran diplomatically and militarily to abandon uranium enrichment. While talks with European powers are ongoing following recent meetings in Turkey, no deal has been reached yet, and tensions between Washington and Tehran remain high with the risk of further escalation. Related Articles Russia Blasts New Iran Satellite Into SpaceHow Iran Missiles Prepared US Patriot Units for Pacific WarIran Nuclear Talks Restart: What We KnowIran Spells Out Conditions for Nuclear Talks 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.