Attorney General to Netanyahu: You must reexamine Minister Ben Gvir's tenure

November 14, 2024   

The Legal Advisor to the Government, Gali Baharav from Yara, Sent a letter to the Prime Minister today (Thursday) Benjamin Netanyahu  - In which she wrote: "You must reexamine your position regarding Minister Ben Gvir's tenure." In her letter, Baharav-Miara wrote that "the combination of the minister's power in relation to the police and his practical and immediate influence on the professional future of its officers and the allegedly improper interventions in its operational activities, undermines the possibility of ensuring that the police will act out of loyalty to the public, and not to the political echelon." The attorney general further wrote: "Since he was appointed to the position, Minister Ben Gvir has apparently influenced and interfered in a blatant, improper, and repeated manner in the operation of the police force. Minister Ben Gvir has expressed himself during his tenure in a way that is likely to deter judges from doing their work, lead to their decisions being disparaged even by police officers, deter law enforcement officials from fulfilling their duties, and delegitimize the interrogations of police officers by the Police Intelligence Unit." The main concern that arises from her letter is that the minister's interference in police work will ostensibly prevent the police officers from acting independently, and there was also concern that Ben-Gvir's conduct will make police officers dependent on the Ministry of National Security. The attorney general conveyed her position in writing to the prime minister in the wake of the petitions against the minister's appointment. Baharav-Miara is required to convey the state's position in petitions to the High Court, which ask the prime minister to dismiss Minister Ben-Gvir, but before submitting her response to the High Court, she contacted Prime Minister Netanyahu to express his position. Office of the Minister of National Security She responded: "Minister of National Security to the Prime Minister: I call on the Prime Minister to reexamine his position regarding the tenure of Legal Advisor to the Prime Minister Gali Baharav Mayara. "The combination of the seemingly inappropriate interventions in government policy and the dependence of government ministers on the advisor for their tenure undermines the possibility of ensuring that the government will act out of loyalty to the public and not to the legal echelon. Tonight, the advisor began an attempted coup against an elected government in Israel, and I call on the Prime Minister to consider dismissing her. Minister Amichai Shikli He attacked the ombudsman for addressing the prime minister: "The ombudsman's demand to dismiss a minister in the government crosses a red line in the relationship between the judiciary and the executive branch and amounts to a breach of trust. ‏ "If Minister Ben Gvir committed an offense, an investigation can be opened against him and an indictment can be filed. If the ombudsman is not satisfied with his actions and appointment, she should hold out until the next elections; she has no legal right to exploit her position and position to advance political agendas. "I must also note that the inclusion of the letter from the head of the Shin Bet as part of this attempted dismissal is very disturbing. In which countries does the position of the secret police justify the dismissal of a minister? ‏ "Every citizen of Israel deserves to live in a democratic country with clear and equal rules of the game. The Knesset is elected by ballot, a government is sworn in by the Knesset, and only an explicit legal reason can dismiss an elected official.".