Good governance group bashes attorney general for siding with Netanyahu

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel is fuming at Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara after she argued that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not in contempt of court when he announced he would not respect conflict of interest rules meant to place a firewall between him and his government’s judicial overhaul.

The group says in a statement it is “dismayed by the attorney general’s rambling and evasive response.”

The opinion by Baharav-Miara marks a rare case of her siding with Netanyahu. The premier and his allies have spoken openly about sacking the attorney general, who has come out against the government’s judicial overhaul plans.

Eliad Shraga, head of the Movement for Quality Government, speaks at an anti-overhaul protest in front of the Supreme Court in Jerusalem on March 9, 2023. (Jeremy Sharon/Times of Israel)

MQG had petitioned the High Court to find Netanyahu in contempt. Netanyahu also denied any wrongdoing on Sunday.

“It’s quite unfortunate that at the moment of truth, the attorney general chose to shrink from taking a clear stance,” the group says. “We hope the court will rule in our favor.”