Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday that he cannot be involved in his government’s efforts to radically overhaul the legal and judicial system due to his ongoing corruption trial. Netanyahu responded to the letter with an appeal to the High Court of Justice, calling the attorney general’s position “unacceptable.” The heads of the coalition parties also denounced Baharav-Miara’s stance, saying it flew in the face of the “unambiguous mandate” received by the government in the elections. The Movement for Quality Government welcomed the attorney general’s warning to Netanyahu, saying the prime minister should “remove his hands immediately from the destruction of Israel’s legal and democratic system.” Justice Minister Yariv Levin also criticized the attorney general’s letter, accusing her of having a conflict of interests. Baharav-Miara’s warning followed a petition filed by the Movement for Quality Government in Israel to the High Court of Justice last month demanding that the attorney general draw up an updated conflict of interests arrangement for Netanyahu after he took office as premier once again in January. The attorney general’s filing stated that Netanyahu must refrain from any involvement in the legal reform package being proposed by the government due to the reasonable suspicion of a conflict of interests between issues pertaining to the legal proceedings against him and the legislative initiatives the government is advancing. On Thursday, the Haaretz daily reported that the threat level for Baharav-Miara was raised to the highest possible level, with security agencies citing “real concern” she could be harmed. The report said the security detail around the attorney-general will be expanded. On Wednesday, Israeli Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he cannot be involved in his government’s efforts to radically overhaul the legal and judicial system due to his ongoing corruption trial. Netanyahu responded to the letter with an appeal to the High Court of Justice, calling the attorney general’s position “unacceptable.” The heads of the coalition parties also denounced Baharav-Miara’s stance, saying it flew in the face of the “unambiguous mandate” received by the government in the elections. The Movement for Quality Government welcomed the attorney general’s warning to Netanyahu, saying the prime minister should “remove his hands immediately from the destruction of Israel’s legal and democratic system.” Justice Minister Yariv Levin also criticized the attorney general’s letter, accusing her of having a conflict of interests. On Thursday, the Haaretz daily reported that the threat level for Baharav-Miara had been raised to the highest possible level due to “real concern” she could be harmed. The report said the security detail around the attorney-general will be expanded.
AG Rejects Netanyahu’s Claim That He Cannot Handle Judicial Shakeup While On Trial
