Knesset passes in preliminary reading main government-backed bill to gut AG role

The Knesset passes in a preliminary reading the main government-backed bill intended to effectively deprive the attorney general’s position of all authority. It passes with the support of the coalition’s far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties.

Lawmakers vote 59-44 in favor of a preliminary reading of a bill by Religious Zionism MKs Simcha Rothman, Ohad Tal and Michal Woldiger which, if passed into law, would split the position into three separate jobs.

Earlier MKs gave an initial nod to various other versions of the bill.

“The attorney general concentrates powers that are unparalleled in any democratic country. The fact that this injustice has not been corrected for years only intensifies the damage to democracy,” declares Rothman.

“Today we are correcting the distortion. The essential need to separate the roles of the attorney general stems from the institutional and inherent conflicts of interest between the roles and from the dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a person who is not an elected official and who is not accountable to the public,” he says.

Addressing the Knesset ahead of the vote, Justice Minister Yariv Levin argued that “the institution of the attorney general has been corrupted to its core.”

The bill will now be referred to the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee chaired by Rothman to be prepared for the next three readings it needs to pass in order to become law.

If the legislation — which has the backing of Justice Minister Yariv Levin — passes, all three of the newly created roles would become politically appointed positions. However, it is likely to face serious legal challenges, since the attorney general today acts as one of the few checks on executive power in Israel’s system of government.

The coalition has been trying unsuccessfully for months to fire the sitting attorney general, Gali Baharav-Miara, accusing her of working against the government and undermining its interests. Baharav-Miara has opposed several of the government’s signature legislative initiatives, including its controversial proposed judicial overhaul, and has also refused to defend the government in proceedings in the High Court against some of its policies and legislation.

The Attorney General’s Office has said of the legislative effort that there was “a heavy suspicion that it is designed to advance personal interests… which are tied to ongoing criminal proceedings and investigations.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on trial on corruption charges, which he and supporters deride as a “witch hunt.”