Cabinet ministers voted today (Sunday) to dismiss Legal Advisor to the Prime Minister, Gali Baharav-Miara. This was in light of what was defined as "her inappropriate conduct and the existence of substantial and prolonged differences of opinion between the government and her.".
The discussion took place in her absence.
Due to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's conflict of interest, he was absent from the government meeting and Justice Minister Yariv Levin is chairing it in his place.
At the beginning of the discussion, Minister Levin said that he views the absence of the legal advisor to the government from the meeting with great severity. "This is further proof of the depth of contempt she has for the government and its members, and that she has no answers to the allegations made against her," he said.
Minister Levin: "She opposes almost everything and offers no alternatives.".
Minister Yaakov Margi: "She is the sovereign.".
Levin: "She claims that the government seeks to be above the law. I remember a government that sought to be above the law during a real election period, and I remember an advisor who made this possible in both the maritime agreement, in the appointment of the Chief of Staff, and in the appointment of Meni Mazuz, which even the High Court of Justice invalidated.".
Minister Bezalel Smotrich: "Different people, different times.".
Minister Nir Barkat added a scathing criticism: "She probably went to another government meeting.".
Minister Avi Dichter also attacked the attorney general and referred to her legal positions: "I read her quotes from 2022 about the gas agreement and the fact that there is no legal impediment - I simply cannot believe that she was with them on such a dramatic issue.".
Government Secretary Yossi Fox claimed that Behrav Meyara acted differently in previous governments: "There was not a single decision in the previous government in which she determined that there was a legal impediment. Only with us do we have dozens of such decisions.".
Minister Idit Silman also joined the criticism: "In the previous government she was the government secretary, in ours she is the chairman of the opposition.".
Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir referred to the influence of the attorney general on the activities of his office and harshly criticized her: "It is impossible to describe how many sticks she put in my wheels - she was against administrative arrests for crime families in the Arab world, which would have saved lives; she was against cell phone blocks for terrorists in prisons; she opposed the establishment of the National Guard; she opposed arms reform, which has proven to be a lifesaver; and she wanted to force me to hand out fruit to the homeless. No matter how much I tried to engage in a dialogue with her to fight crime - there was no one to talk to.".
Before the debate began, Bahar Meyara sent a letter to members of the government in which she wrote that her members were acting above the law and made it clear that "we will not be deterred.".
She wrote: "The move must be understood for what it is - not trust the proposal seeks to promote, but loyalty to the political echelon. Not governance, but governmental power without limits, as part of a broader move to weaken the judiciary and deter all professional echelons.".
According to 'Kan News', estimates are that the entire process is expected to take at least two months, due to the appeal to a committee whose two members are currently missing - a former Minister of Justice and a Knesset representative.
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