Government may rush to pass bill weakening role of attorney general in coming weeks — report

The government may rush to pass its controversial bill splitting the role of the attorney general in the coming weeks, raising concerns that weakening the role of such an important gatekeeper could affect the integrity of the upcoming national elections, Channel 12 reports.

The legislation, which has only passed a preliminary reading and is currently being debated in the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, is seen as intended to significantly weaken the power of the attorney general, effectively depriving the position of all authority and independence.

The legislation would preserve the role of the attorney general as the legal adviser to the government, but his or her decisions would not be binding under a mooted draft of the law, the TV report said. It would create separate positions for a prosecutor general and for a government representative to the courts — both of which are currently encompassed by the attorney general’s role.

Key provisions of the bill would give the government total control over appointing the attorney general and allowing it to fire the serving attorney general at the beginning of a new administration, making it a highly political appointment essentially subordinate to the will of the government.

In January,  the Knesset Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee chairman excised a key clause that would have preserved some apolitical character of the key position by ensuring that an attorney general would be appointed for a one-term period of six years, as is currently the case.

According to Channel 12’s unsourced report, a final decision on when to pass the bill has not been made, but the prospect of it being advanced quickly through all three readings ahead of the elections worries the opposition, which is concerned that the lack of oversight from such an important official could remove a key check on government power ahead of the vote.