Ministers debate bill to force retirement of several government legal advisers, calling them ‘gangsters’

By Sam Sokol 17 November 2024, 3:48 pm

8 Edit

Sam 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"

Regional Cooperation Minister David Amsalem addresses the Knesset plenum, November 4, 2024. (Noam Moskowitz, Office of the Knesset Spokesperson)

Members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government attack the government’s legal advisers as “gangsters” who are guilty of breaching the public trust for years during their cabinet meeting on Sunday.

The attacks come as the cabinet is discussing a proposal to regulate the advisers’ retirement packages and compel those who have served more than seven years to retire before the end of 2024.

According to national broadcaster Kan, the move would pave the way for the ouster of seven ministerial advisers, especially Finance Ministry Legal Adviser Asi Messing, who has clashed with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

In a legal opinion on Sunday morning, the Attorney General’s Office stated that the government’s move was concerning because it could mean that it intends to remove officials who act “as gatekeepers” due to “foreign” considerations.

Per the Ynet news site, Regional Cooperation Minister David Amsalem accuses the government’s legal advisers of acting “like gangsters” while Justice Minister Yariv Levin claims that they have acted in “breach of trust for 15 years” by not complying with a 2009 government decision, in line with the findings of the inter-ministerial Abramovich Commission, to limit their terms to seven years — but which was never implemented.

While “there is no doubt that this is illegal conduct,” focusing on it misses the main point, which is that the legal advisers have “declared war on the government,” National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir reportedly states.

Earlier this month, Police Commissioner Daniel Levy, who falls under the purview of Ben Gvir’s ministry, backed down from the process he initiated to dismiss the Israel Police’s top legal adviser after Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara told him last week that his actions were illegal.

The coalition stated last year that, as part of its since-frozen judicial overhaul plan, it intended to reclassify ministry legal advisers from independent authorities to politically selected counsel whose opinions are explicitly non-binding upon the government and its ministers.

Currently, each ministry’s legal adviser falls under the aegis of the attorney general to preserve their independence from political influence, and their advice is binding upon ministries.