Attorney General Hits Back Against Impeachment By Government

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara responded on Sunday to the government’s claims before the discussion on her impeachment, announcing that she will not attend because the discussion has “no legal validity.”

“The move demands loyalty to the political rank, the government wants to be above the law,” she wrote in a letter sent to the ministers before the start of the meeting. The impeachment process is “an extremely exceptional step, which must be carried out in an orderly process that ensures the preservation of the independence of legal counsel to the government.” The attorney general, whose duties includ the government’s legal adviser, criticized the ministers for trying to promote “not governance, but unlimited authoritarian power,” adding that this is part of a “wider move to weaken the judiciary and deter professional positions.”

Baharav-Miara said that the declarative debate concerning her dismissal “is not part of the regulated process, it has no legal validity, and it bypasses the rules that have been set.” She also noted that the government chose examples to support its case for her dismissal that were examples in which it sought to act against the law, even causing harm to the public, and labeling it as “differences of opinion,” which the ministers consider reasons for dismissal.

“The aim is clear: to turn the institution of attorney general into one that is required to remain silent in the face of illegal actions, or even to support them,” she said. Seeking her dismissal, she said, is based on a “flawed and lacking” factual basis.

While her legal counsel is obliged to promote the government’s policy, it must adhering to the law: “Where legal counseling presents to the government the limits of the law, it fulfills its role, and one cannot argue that these are differences of opinion that constitute a reason to end the tenure.”

Next, the government’s legal advisor sharply criticized the impeachment process, which she characterized as “not faithful to the proposed request, but loyalty to the political rank; not governance, but unchecked authority – the government seeks to be above the law, in the most sensitive times, in times of emergency, during protests against the regime and elections period.”

The government is expected to convene to discuss the process for dismissing her from her position. The meeting is expected to be led by Justice Minister Yariv Levin, due to a conflict of interest if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is involved. The proceedings were initiated by Levin, who argued that the attorney general “endangered democracy.”

The impeachment process is expected to face difficulties, including the need for approval by a special committee whose members will be appointed by the Supreme President Isaac Amit and Levin, known to be rivals. In addition, one of the committee members must to be a retired justice minister. All former justice ministers have announced that they will not cooperate with the process.

The proceedings have sparked protests, who were seen arriving in thousands to demonstrate against the government.