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Monday, May 18, 2026
Smotrich dismisses concerns over unchecked power during deliberations on bill to split AG role
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleAriela 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.
Coalition and opposition lawmakers clash in the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee during deliberations on a controversial bill to split the role of the attorney general, as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, in a rare appearance, dismisses concerns over weakening checks on government power.
“What checks and balances does the government have?” Yesh Atid MK Yasmin Fridman asks Smotrich. “If [the government] is not obligated to the opinion of any legal adviser, what checks and balances exist? What will protect citizens from a government where there is nothing to stop it?” she continues.
Smotrich evades the question, and instead asks whether Fridman “know[s] of another country in the world where the government is bound to [the opinion of] the attorney general,” calling the current system akin to a “dictatorship” by the attorney general.
Opposition lawmakers immediately fire back that other democracies have stronger separation of powers and institutional checks and balances, including a constitution, separate parliamentary bodies, and separations between executive and legislative powers, all of which Israel lacks.
When Fridman presses the finance minister on what safeguards would remain on executive power in Israel, he points to “judicial review by the courts,” prompting derisive responses from opposition lawmakers, who note that his government has for years been campaigning to weaken and delegitimize the judiciary.
The legislation, which has only passed a preliminary reading, would split the attorney general’s role into three separate positions, in a move critics say would significantly weaken one of the main checks on government power, including during upcoming elections.
The Times of Israel Community.