Ben-Gvir and Baharav-Miara
Ben-Gvir and Baharav-MiaraShir Torem/Flash90. Yonatan Sindel/Flash90

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir issued an urgent appeal to the leaders of the coalition this evening (Thursday) calling for the immediate beginning of the procedures to dismiss Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara from her position for causing "real damage every day" through her continued obstruction of the government's policies.

In his appeal, Ben-Gvir noted that Baharav-Mirara was appointed by the previous government over the objections of former Supreme Court President Asher Grunis, who stated that she was unqualified for the position of attorney general.

He further questioned her conduct and accused her of bias in favor of the left-wing of the political spectrum. "In a series of decisions in which the attorney general supported the illegal conduct of the previous government, such as the approval of a political agreement that includes territorial concessions without the approval of the Knesset, the appointment of a chief of staff on the eve of an election (and I have great respect for the chosen Chief of Staff, who I assume we would have chosen as well), and the attempt to appoint Judge Mazuz to a permanent appointment as the chairman of the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee on the eve of elections, a step so extreme and puzzling that even the Supreme Court had to reject it."

"With the establishment of the new government, and with the hope was that the attorney general would understand that the government has changed and so would stop receiving instructions from the previous government, we decided to not immediately call for her dismissal, and even to give her a chance to have a normal working relationship. However, day by day it is becoming clear that her confrontational behavior is increasing with each passing moment, to the point where Mrs. Baharav-Miara now functions as the real leader of the opposition," Ben-Gvir wrote.

“I am aware of the legal difficulty in firing her, but the damage the attorney general is causing every day she remains in her position is immeasurable,” he said.

Last night (Wednesday), Baharav-Miara published an opinion calling for Ben-Gvir to be ordered not to outline policy regarding the Israel Police’s conduct during the protests against the judicial reform and against the government, despite his authority over the police as National Security Minister.

Baharav-Miara stated in her opinion that while Ben-Gvir has the authority to outline a general policy for police activity, including on the police's response to demonstrations - he cannot give operative instructions to the police, whether directly or indirectly.

"The sequence of events described in the requests, which can be learned from, among other things, the minister's own publications, and the information provided by the police, raise a real concern that the conduct of the Minister of National Security crossed the line, and was intended to interfere or constitute an attempt to interfere with the professional and independent judgment given to the commanding echelon of the Israel Police on the ground, and this also occurred in real time in relation to individual events concerning the protests taking place against the government these days," wrote Baharav-Miara.

"The consistent position of the Attorney General, as reflected over the years in various opinions, is that the Minister of National Security is allowed to outline a general policy for the Israel Police, but he is not allowed to interfere in the operative and operational implementation of the policy, including by way of giving concrete instructions regarding individual events as they occur," she added. "Matters such as this are reserved for the professional level of the Israel Police, and only to it, in accordance with their professional judgment."

The attorney general also wrote that "events such as demonstrations, and in particular when they are directed towards the political echelon, make it necessary to ensure that the policy that will be established will preserve for the police a sufficiently wide professional scope, which is protected from political influences. Therefore, as far as the policy in the field of demonstrations is concerned, it is extremely important to draw as clear boundaries as possible between the authority of the minister and the authority of the police in these sensitive matters, and this in order to ensure that the right to demonstrate is not excessively harmed, and the ability of the police to act professionally, impartially and free from political influences is guaranteed, and maintain the public's trust in it as such."

The attorney general in Israel serves for six years regardless of any change in government unless they are dismissed from their position, unlike in the US where the attorney general is appointed by each new president.