Stressing conflict of interest, AG says PM violated orders by appointing Shin Bet chief

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has acted “in contravention of legal instructions,” in announcing this evening that he is appointing a new Shin Bet chief, and that there is a “heavy concern that he acted while having a conflict of interest, and that the appointments process is flawed.”

The High Court on Wednesday ruled Netanyahu had a conflict of interest when he fired the outgoing Shin Bet head, Ronen Bar. Baharav-Miara then immediately told Netanyahu he could not appoint a new Shin Bet chief under the current circumstances.

Justice Minister Yariv Levin welcomes Netanyahu’s decision to defy the attorney general, describing it as a “courageous, necessary, and crucial decision,” which he says “finally restores proper democratic order.”

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel says however that Netanyahu’s announcement is “brazen and defiant,” and accuses him of showing contempt for the High Court of Justice and the attorney general.

“This is unprecedented contempt for the High Court’s rulings and the attorney general’s instructions, and the continuation of the dangerous trend of harming the rule of law for the sake of narrow, personal interests,” says the organization.

The Movement for Quality Government, which was one of the primary petitioners against the government’s decision to fire Bar, vows to submit a new petition to the High Court in the coming days “against this invalid appointment.”