AG stays away from her dismissal hearing: ‘A sham that harms rule of law, democracy’

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara was not present as a controversial ministerial panel convened at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem to hold a hearing on her dismissal Monday afternoon.

In a letter ahead of the hearing, Baharav-Miara warned that the proceedings pave the way for the government to remove her, and any future attorney general, on the basis of “irrelevant and corrupt considerations.”

“It’s a sham hearing with a predetermined outcome,” she wrote. “It signifies heavy damage to the rule of law and Israeli democracy.”

Following her failure to attend, the committee decided to hold a second hearing on Thursday to which she will again be summoned. It was not immediately clear if Baharav-Miara would skip the second hearing too.

Hundreds of demonstrators in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem rallied against the hearing, with dozens of protesters cleared out of the Justice Ministry in Jerusalem by force after they entered the building.

According to Baharav-Miara, the hearing is a response to decisions she has made in line with her legal duties: blocking unlawful government actions, ordering investigations or indictments of coalition members, and refusing to halt ongoing criminal proceedings involving a sitting minister. She also cited concern that under the newly created ministerial panel, procedures against her and future attorneys general would be guided by “political deals.”

Ahead of the dismissal hearing, President Isaac Herzog praised the attorney general and warned of national “pandemonium.”

“I believe the role of attorney general is so sensitive in a democracy that each step must be measured and weighed a thousand times before being taken,” Herzog said in a video statement, without referring explicitly to the government or Monday’s dismissal hearing.

He said Israel was in “very dangerous situation” that was devolving rapidly.

“I use a metaphor of a roller coaster that’s lost its brakes and has pandemonium in the conductor’s car,” said Herzog. “Everyone is attacking everyone, everyone is blaming everyone, everyone is lashing out at everyone. It’s a very dangerous situation, and the enemy, from the outside, wants to burn the roller coaster on seven fronts.”

“And I say to everyone: We must stop,” he continued. “Stop before we collapse under the avalanche, truly. It’s that dangerous.”

The president said steps taken by Baharav-Miara during the war against Hamas in Gaza helped protect Israel against international criticism.

“She made very courageous decisions, gave full backing to the government, the cabinet, the army, and the security services, with courage and integrity,” Herzog said. “That helped protect us, even on the international stage.”

He also assailed attacks on public servants, adding that many in the civil service “even support the coalition, as is fitting in any democracy.”

“It’s legitimate to criticize. There’s harsh criticism, and that’s understandable given the nature of the role, but it must be done responsibly,” said Herzog. “That’s what I call for — responsibility.”

The coalition and Baharav-Miara have been in conflict since the government was sworn in at the end of 2022. Ministers accuse the attorney general — who was appointed by the previous government — of serially thwarting their policies, while she has accused the government of acting unlawfully and advancing unconstitutional legislation.

In March, the government set in motion the process of firing the attorney general under a system established in 2000. But in June, after failing to make progress under the existing procedures, the cabinet passed a resolution establishing a new five-member ministerial committee that could trigger the process, headed by Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli and also comprising Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich; National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir; Science and Technology Minister Gila Gamliel; and Religious Services Minister Michael Malkieli.

During the committee’s session on Monday, Chikli presented an 84-point document summarizing what he described as hundreds of pages of charges against Baharav-Miara prepared by Justice Minister Yariv Levin.

As the committee convened, dozens of protesters held a sit-in at the Justice Ministry building, which houses Baharav-Miara’s office, before being kicked out. The protesters remained just outside the building, where they chanted in support of the attorney general, Haaretz reported.

כמה עשרות מפגינים נכנסו לתוך משרד המשפטים התיישבו על הרצפה ומסרבים להתפנות. חלקם בפנים ואחרים בחוץ. המשטרה מפנה אותם בכוח. אחד השוטרים השתמש באגרופים וברכיות pic.twitter.com/xmmFgeTo5H

— Bar Peleg (@bar_peleg) July 14, 2025

Another protest was held outside the Tel Aviv District Courthouse, which was set to feature speeches from some of Israel’s top jurists, including Bar Association chief Amit Bechar, Tel Aviv University president Ariel Porat.

Monday’s session was being held a day after High Court Justice Noam Sohlberg dismissed a petition by anti-government activists and civil society groups to prevent the ministerial panel from convening for the dismissal hearing. Baharav-Miara expressed support for the petition in a court filing last week.

Sohlberg rejected the petition on procedural grounds, saying the ministerial committee still had not made a recommendation on Baharav-Miara’s ouster, so there was nothing to adjudicate yet. That means petitioners can refile their objections to the court should the committee indeed recommend Baharav-Miara’s removal.

Jeremy Sharon contributed to this report.