“Israeli” AG Urges “High Court” to Press Bibi on Dismissal of Ben Gvir

By Staff, Agencies

In a filing submitted to the so-called “High Court” on Thursday, “Israel’s” Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara said that so-called “National” Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has consistently abused his authority and argued that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be required to explain why he has not removed him from office.

The request marks the latest escalation in a prolonged confrontation between the attorney general and the far-right minister, who is responsible for overseeing the police. About a month ago, Baharav-Miara backed petitions calling for Ben Gvir’s dismissal, deepening a dispute that has spanned multiple policy and legal issues.

Baharav-Miara has repeatedly accused Ben Gvir of exerting improper influence over the police, an institution meant to function independently. She has also said he violated a compromise agreement reached last year that was intended to limit his involvement in police operations. Ben Gvir, for his part, has insisted he is implementing the agenda of his voters and has publicly attacked the attorney general, even calling her a “criminal.”

In her latest submission, Baharav-Miara urged the court to order Netanyahu “to explain why he is not removing ‘National’ Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir from his position.” She outlined what she described as a “continuous, sometimes sophisticated, system of pressure” exerted by Ben Gvir on police officers, particularly in matters involving anti-government protests, the status quo at the Al-Aqsa Mosque [“Temple Mount”] and security for aid convoys bound for Gaza.

In a detailed 68-page opinion accompanying the petitions for Ben Gvir’s removal—set to be heard by the court on January 15—the attorney general wrote that there is currently no way to protect the public from actions that systematically undermine police independence.

Shortly after the opinion was filed, Ben Gvir responded on social media with an insult directed at Baharav-Miara. Members of the ruling coalition, including Ben Gvir, have also supported efforts to remove the attorney general, accusing her of obstructing the government’s agenda.

Although tensions between the two officials appeared to ease briefly last April—when Ben Gvir agreed to restrictions on his authority over police investigations, promotions, and protest management—the truce quickly collapsed. Since then, Baharav-Miara has accused him of blocking promotions, pushing for aggressive policing of protests and interfering in active investigations.

Earlier this week, “Israel’s” Kan broadcaster reported that Ben Gvir may also be interfering with police responses to Freedom of Information Law requests, potentially violating the law.

In December, Baharav-Miara informed Netanyahu that the petitions against Ben Gvir now rest on a solid factual and legal basis. Ben Gvir responded publicly by saying she opposed him simply because he was advancing policies for which he was elected.

In Thursday’s opinion, the attorney general said the issue goes to the heart of protecting the fundamental values of “Israeli” democracy. She accused Ben Gvir of deliberately and repeatedly abusing his authority, including by influencing personnel decisions and issuing operational directives, directly or indirectly.

Baharav-Miara recalled that the “High Court” approved Ben Gvir’s appointment in December 2022 despite petitions citing his past racist statements and criminal conviction for supporting a Jewish terror group. At the time, the court accepted Ben Gvir’s claims that he had changed and assumed the police would maintain professional independence, with the minister not acting as a de facto police chief.

According to the attorney general, those assumptions have since proven false. She cited examples including encouragement of harsher policing against anti-government protesters, instructions to withhold police protection from Gaza-bound aid trucks attacked by right-wing “Israelis” and unilateral moves affecting the sensitive status quo at the Al-Aqsa Mosque [“Temple Mount”] and where public Jewish prayer is prohibited.

Baharav-Miara said Netanyahu has failed to meaningfully address the issue with Ben Gvir, arguing that an interim court order is necessary to shift the burden onto the prime minister to justify why Ben Gvir should remain in his post.