Senior minister tells employees to ignore attorney general’s legal positions, contradicting High Court order

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi instructs employees in his ministry to ignore legal position papers issued by the Attorney General’s Office, following the government’s decision to fire Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara yesterday.

His comments directly contradict an order issued by the High Court of Justice, which froze implementation of the attorney general’s dismissal, instructed the government not to change its working relationship with Baharav-Miara, and stated explicitly that her legal position papers remain valid.

Karhi’s letter is immediately denounced by the opposition, with Democrats MK Gilad Kariv saying it could lead to a constitutional crisis where employees of the ministry will not know whether to obey the minister or the court.

“The office of the dismissed attorney general is no longer authorized to issue legal position papers, and if it does so, they have no validity,” writes Karhi in a letter to ministry employees.

“You are hereby required not to fulfill legal position papers from the Attorney General’s Office without approval from my office, and to consult with my office in any instance of doubt,” he continues.

Kariv says in response that Karhi’s letter calls for ministry employees “to knowingly violate the High Court ruling,” and “forces them to choose between the law and the state, and the primaries campaign of an extremist minister.”

Adds Kariv, “We are a step away from the void of a constitutional crisis.”

Leader of the Opposition Yair Lapid also denounces Karhi, calls him a “criminal minister” and says Yesh Atid will file a criminal complaint of “incitement and sedition” against Karhi to the police.

And the Israel Democracy Guard organization files a request to the High Court for a contempt of court order against Karhi, and asks the court to summon government representatives to clarify the minister’s instructions.