From the Liveblog of
Sunday, July 13, 2025
Lawmakers advance bill that would allow any government, in its 1st months, to fire AG, IDF chief, other top officials
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
The Ministerial Committee for Legislation votes to back a bill sponsored by far-right Otzma Yehudit MK Zvika Fogel which would allow the government to terminate the tenure of the most senior security officials and public officers within its first 100 days in office.
The bill will now go to the Knesset for a preliminary reading before being referred to committee for further discussion.
The committee’s backing marks the latest in a string of moves by the coalition to concentrate power in the hands of the government at the expense of other institutions and erode the judiciary and other checks and balances.
Under the terms of the bill, a government in the first 100 days after taking office could terminate the tenure of the attorney general, IDF chief of staff, head of the Shin Bet, head of the Mossad, police commissioner, head of the Israel Prison Service, Civil Service commissioner, and head of the budget department in the Finance Ministry.
Discussion over the bill came as the government is working to fire Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, and to appoint David Zini as the new chief of the Shin Bet security service.
Otzma Yehudit chairman and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir welcomes the high-level panel’s approval of the legislation, declaring that it constitutes “an important step to strengthen governance and return responsibility to the government elected by the public.”
“It… is an important step on the path to restoring governance – similar to what is happening in Trump’s United States,” Ben Gvir declares.
“The government cannot continue to be shackled by the chains of senior officials who are appointed by previous governments but block every initiative of the current government. From now on, an elected government will be able, for a limited period of time and under clear conditions, to ensure alignment between the elected echelon and the executive echelon.”
In a recording from today’s meeting published by national broadcaster Kan, Justice Minister Yariv Levin can be heard making fun of Deputy Attorney General Gil Limon’s assertion that he had no conflict of interest regarding the issue.
“You are the ministering angels… a conflict of interest is just for the rabble elected by the people,” Levin declares.
“This is a small and welcome step by the committee and a significant step in preserving democracy,” declares Fogel following the vote.
Slamming the bill, The Democrats MK Gilad Kariv tweets that it “will severely impair” the defense establishment and public service and “significantly harm” their “operational continuity.”
The Times of Israel Community.