State attorneys: Shaked’s call for Zilber dismissal undermines our independence

Colleagues of Deputy Attorney General Dana Zilber on Friday said Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked’s call for the dismissal of the state official undermined the independence of attorney general’s office and prevented representatives of the office from doing their job.

Shaked called for Zilber to be fired for criticizing the so-called “Loyalty in Culture” bill during a Knesset committee meeting earlier this week. Zilber also condemned the current political climate in Israel and accused lawmakers from the right-wing coalition of seeking to minimize dissenting opinions.

Speaking Tuesday at a meeting of the Knesset Education, Culture, and Sports Committee, Zilber said the legislation, which threatens to strip state funding from cultural institutions that produce art seen as overly critical of the government or the state, “poses real difficulties.”

In a letter to Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, Zilber’s colleagues said Shaked’s demand was an effort to silence political opposition from within the judiciary.

“The chain of events currently being discussed in the media undermines the foundation of independence the Attorney General’s Office is built on in a way that could harm our ability to do our job,” the letter said, according to Hadashot news.

The attorneys said the “spirit of the political discourse [where there is] a perceived subordination to the political echelon undercuts our ability to represent the professional opinions of the attorney general.”

The signatories said they viewed Shaked’s demand to fire Zilber as “an attempt to deter jurists from expressing their professional option.”

Mandelblit himself on Thursday pushed back against calls for the dismissal of Zilber, saying criticism that she had politicized her role was being used to undermine his office.

“This [demand] turned into a lever that is meant to harm the institution of the attorney general,” Mandelblit was quoted as saying by the Haaretz daily at an event in Haifa marking 70 years of Israel’s legal system. “This is something I can’t agree to and I don’t think there is anyone, including the justice minister, who wants to harm it.”

During Tuesday’s Knesset committee meeting, the parliament’s own legal adviser, Eyal Yinon, also opined that the “loyalty in culture” bill was problematic and seemed to impose restrictions on freedom of speech.

“It can be seen as seemingly part of the imposition of restrictions on freedom of expression,” Yinon said, saying the bill faces “significant constitutional hurdles.”

The legislation cleared its first reading Monday with 55 lawmakers in favor and 44 opposed. It must now head to committee before returning to the plenum for two more Knesset votes if it is to become law.