AG suggests Ben Gvir still interfering inappropriately in police work, possibly meriting dismissal

In a letter to the High Court today, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara indicates that Itamar Ben Gvir has continually exploited his powers as national security minister to undermine police independence, which could merit his dismissal.

The letter sent today was requested by the High Court in late April, after Baharav-Miara came to an agreement with the far-right minister in a last-ditch effort to curb his interference in police promotions and decision making.

Baharav-Miara was set to provide an update on Ben Gvir’s adherence to the legally binding compromise by July 15, but instead does so six days late.

In the letter, she writes that the arrangement with Ben Gvir is “not without difficulties, and monitoring the actual implementation of the principles will be far from simple on a practical level.”

The attorney general has demanded that Ben Gvir accept restrictions meant to preclude him from undue interference in police’s personnel decisions and policy regarding protests and investigations before she agrees to defend him in the High Court against petitions for his dismissal.

The ongoing difficulties in implementing the restrictions indicate that Baharav-Miara may backtrack on her conditional legal support for Ben Gvir against petitions for his dismissal.

Baharav-Miara requests that the High Court give her until August 5 to submit a final update regarding the agreement with Ben Gvir.

Critics of Ben Gvir, legal experts, and the attorney general herself have accused the minister of using police promotions as a carrot-and-stick to shape cops’ decision-making and advance his far-right political agenda via law enforcement.

Just last week, Baharav-Miara decried Ben Gvir’s refusal to sign off on the promotion of a police investigator involved in one of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s legal trials. She said Ben Gvir’s move may constitute a “blatant violation” of the agreement, Haaretz reported.