Opposition MK petitions High Court against law gutting power of attorney general

By Ariela Karmel

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15 July 2026, 9:33 pm

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Ariela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.

Democrats MK Gilad Kariv reacts during a plenum session on a law to weaken the powers of the attorney general, in the Knesset in Jerusalem, July 15, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Democrats MK Gilad Kariv says that he has petitioned the High Court of Justice against the coalition’s newly passed law weakening the role of the attorney general, together with the Zulat Institute and a group of former ministers, legal experts and public figures.

Calling the legislation “the cornerstone of the judicial overhaul,” Kariv argues that it “will place the government above the rule of law and shatter the delicate system of checks and balances in Israeli democracy.”

The petition argues that the law effectively strips the attorney general of the role of an independent gatekeeper by allowing the government to ignore legal opinions, undermines Israel’s system of checks and balances, and creates “a real risk to the fairness of elections and preservation of democratic norms,” and asks the High Court to strike it down.

Opposition leaders roundly denounce the legislation as an assault on Israeli democracy, with Yashar chair Gadi Eisenkot calling it “a blatant attempt to neutralize Israel’s gatekeepers and dismantle the rule of law,” and yet another “intentional assault on our democratic foundations.”

Democrats chair Yair Golan accuses the government of trying to “steal the election,” by removing one of the few checks on its power ahead of the October 27 vote.

He argues that the attorney general legislation, together with other coalition initiatives, is intended “to weaken the gatekeepers, undermine the integrity of the election and cling to power at any cost.”

Religious Zionism chairman and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, meanwhile, congratulates Knesset Constitution Committee chairman and Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman, who spearheaded the law, on its passage, declaring that “this decision has enormous significance for Jewish identity, Zionism, security and settlement,” and vowing that “together, we will devote the coming years to completing all the necessary reforms to the judicial system.”