AG invited to key cabinet meeting on Gaza, as required by court, despite gov’t firing her

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has been invited to attend Thursday’s key security cabinet meeting in which plans for a full military occupation of Gaza will be discussed and possibly approved.

The invitation was issued by the National Security Council despite the government having fired Baharav-Miara on Monday, and came as some ministers threatened to boycott her, in defiance of a High Court ruling.

Immediately after the cabinet voted to fire the attorney general, the High Court of Justice froze the decision’s implementation and told the government that Baharav-Miara retains her authorities, and must not be outflanked, until the court issues a final ruling.

Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs said that Baharav-Miara remained on the National Security Council’s standard invitation list for senior officials to the security cabinet. It also includes the senior leadership of the Shin Bet, Mossad and others.

The attorney general serves as the official interpreter of the law for the government, and the very presence of the office holder when key decisions are made is crucial for ensuring the legality of such decisions.

Baharav-Miara is therefore routinely invited to attend all cabinet and security cabinet meetings, although she can and does send deputies in her place when necessary.

A decision to fully conquer and occupy Gaza would be so sensitive and weighty that it would be critical to have the attorney general in the room to ensure the decision is made legally and conforms with proper legal procedures, and in order to defend it in the future, according to Ynet.

Justice Minister Yariv Levin has been seeking to have the government boycott the attorney general despite the court order, owing to his determination to ensure her ouster from office goes through. “Close associates” of the minister were said to be angered by the invitation to Baharav-Miara, describing it as “very severe,” Ynet reported.

On Tuesday, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi instructed his ministry not to obey instructions from the Attorney General’s Office following the government vote to fire Baharav-Miara, and claimed the High Court order was legally invalid.

Opposition politicians subsequently described his instructions as illegal, and Democrats MK Gilad Kariv on Wednesday urged the Histadrut labor federation to publicly announce it would support and assist any ministry employees who face repercussions for obeying the Attorney General Office’s instructions.