Israeli cabinet casts no-confidence vote against attorney general

Israel’s cabinet has passed a vote of no confidence against Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, the country’s justice minister has said, in a first step in the removal of yet another vocal critic of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right government.

The vote on Sunday comes just two days after the government dismissed Ronen Bar, the head of Shin Bet, the country’s internal security agency – a decision later frozen by the Supreme Court.

Baharav-Miara, the country’s most senior legal official, is accused of “inappropriate behaviour” and of “ongoing substantial differences of opinion between the government and the attorney general, which prevents effective collaboration”, according to the prime minister’s office.

The attorney general, who did not attend the cabinet meeting, refuted the claims and accused the government of trying to operate above the law. The vote of no confidence aimed at gaining “limitless power, as part of a wider move to weaken the judicial branch” and to “promote loyalty to the government”, she said in a letter sent to the cabinet ahead of the vote.

The vote does not translate into her dismissal yet. A committee will review the arguments and hold a hearing to consider the case. Should the committee fail to support her removal, the Supreme Court could still block it.

The attempted dismissal of both the Shin Bet chief and the attorney general has attracted thousands of protesters who say the unprecedented moves are a threat to democracy and part of a crackdown on the few remaining voices critical of Netanyahu.

The prime minister, meanwhile, has cited an “ongoing lack of trust” in Bar, who is expected to testify on April 8. Netanyahu has insisted it is up to the government to decide who will head Shin Bet.

Critics say the prime minister moved against Bar due to his criticism of the government over the security failure that allowed Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, the deadliest day in the country’s history. They also allege that Netanyahu’s ongoing bribery trial is at play.

Shin Bet has investigated Netanyahu’s close associates on suspicion of receiving money linked to Qatar.