Cabinet to debate motion of no confidence against attorney general on Sunday

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet will debate a motion of no confidence against Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara on Sunday.

The confirmation of the government’s intent to remove Baharav-Miara from her post comes just hours after the cabinet voted to dismiss Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar.

An 86-page document compiled by Justice Minister Yariv Levin and distributed to government ministers ahead of the cabinet meeting provides a summary of Baharav-Miara’s alleged transgressions.

A copy is published online by the Kan public broadcaster.

The attorney general, the document asserts, has been acting “as the long arm of the government’s opponents, and does not hesitate to use any means to thwart the will of the voters.”

It further claims that Baharav-Miara has taken advantage of the political division in Israel to create “two legal systems — one for the government’s opponents and one for its supporters.”

Levin also charges that under her leadership, the Attorney General’s Office has become “a tyrannical political authority.”

Levin began the process of removing Baharav-Miara from her post on March 5, accusing her of politicizing her office and repeatedly thwarting the will of the government.

The no-confidence motion is the first of several that the government must take to remove the attorney general from office, and the process is expected to last several months.

After the motion is passed, the government must convene the five-member public committee responsible for appointing, and to a large extent, dismissing, the attorney general.

As two spots on the committee are currently open, they must first be filled before it can convene.

The committee will give the attorney general a hearing to allow her to present her position, after which it will issue a recommendation on whether or not she should be fired.

While the government isn’t required to follow the recommendation, it must also give Baharav Miara a hearing.

Finally, the High Court of Justice will hear petitions filed against the dismissal of the attorney general before the final decision is made.

Jeremy Sharon contributed to this report.