The Israeli government voted unanimously on Monday to fire Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who is currently prosecuting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for corruption. The move was immediately suspended by the Israeli High Court.
Netanyahu and his supporters have accused Baharav-Miara of exceeding her powers by blocking decisions by the elected government, including a move to dismiss the head of Israel’s domestic security agency.
In a statement after the vote, Baharav-Miara called her dismissal “unlawful” and vowed that she and her office would remain faithful to the law and continue to act professionally and honestly.
“This is a fateful blow to the rule of law, equality before the law, human rights, and the ability of the law enforcement system to deal with government corruption,” she added.
The attempt to fire the attorney general for the first time in the country’s 78-year history was immediately frozen by the High Court until justices can rule on its legality. The government is barred from appointing a new attorney general and influencing Baharav-Miara’s operations before further instructions are issued.
Netanyahu did not take part in the hearing or vote on Baharav-Miara’s dismissal due to a conflict of interest over his ongoing criminal trial and the attorney general’s role as head of the prosecution.
Three criminal cases have been opened against Netanyahu, who has been charged with bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. He could face up to ten years in prison over the bribery allegations, while the fraud and breach of trust charges each carry up to three years.
Several hearings in Netanyahu’s long-running corruption trial have been canceled after a court accepted requests by the prime minister on classified diplomatic, security, and health grounds.
Opposition politicians have criticized the attorney general’s dismissal, calling it part of Netanyahu’s controversial judicial reform plan which sparked one of the largest protests in Israel’s history. Opponents claim that the reform would violate democratic principles as the ruling coalition would concentrate more power in its hands and Netanyahu would attempt to avoid criminal liability.
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