Yariv Levin (L) and Gali Baharav-Miara (R)
Yariv Levin (L) and Gali Baharav-Miara (R)Yonatan Sindel/Flash90

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara on Friday morning published her opinion that Justice Minister Yariv Levin must call a meeting of the Judicial Selection Committee on Sunday, in accordance with the Supreme Court's decision.

During the meeting, the Committee is expected to choose Supreme Court Justice Yitzhak Amit as the court's President.

Levin has delayed the meeting in order to allow for investigation of allegations of conflicts of interest and failure to report conflicts of interest, as well as other complaints against him. However, the Supreme Court has ordered a halt on the investigations, with Amit claiming that he is being "persecuted."

Baharav-Miara's letter follows Levin's request for more time, which he sent to the Supreme Court and which the Supreme Court rejected. She insists that following this refusal to grant time for proper investigation of Amit, there is no justification for delaying the appointment. Such delays would be "improper political interference" in the judiciary, with the purported goal of preventing a decision regarding who should be appointed as Supreme Court President.

However, Baharav-Miara allowed Levin to present any material on Amit which he believes is relevant to the Committee's decision.

On Thursday evening, Channel 12 News reported that Baharav-Miara forbade the Committee's legal adviser, Lea Rakover, from examining these complaints against Amit.

In a tense conversation between the two, Baharav-Miara ordered the Committee to immediately submit Amit's response to the claims to the Committee, in order to allow the vote to be held on Sunday.

Rakover requested to hold an initial examination of the material, but Baharav-Miara ordered her to use only the complaints and Amit's response to them, likely due to her concerns that a proper and full investigation would lead to delaying Amit's confirmation as president of the Supreme Court.

The complaints against Amit include matters regarding conflicts of interests in court, as well as illegal construction on a home Amit owns. The Attorney General's office said that it has no intention of discussing the issues which arose.

MK Itamar Ben Gvir, who heads the Otzma Yehudit party, responded to Baharav-Miara's interference in the examination of the complaints against Amit, saying, "The Attorney General is trying to whitewash the serious complaints against Yitzhak Amit, instead of allowing a thorough investigation. Her interference in the matter of Amit proves once more how much the judiciary is impacted by foreign and subjective concerns."

"It's time the government began the process to fire her. The root of the problem is the fact that the oppositional and political Attorney General is still in her role - this is an embarrassment and a failure of the right-wing government."

Earlier this month, the Head of Investigations and Intelligence in the Israel Police, Boaz Balat, decided not to request approval from the Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, to open an investigation against the Acting President of the Supreme Court, Judge Yitzhak Amit.

Following an examination by Chief Balat, it was found that "there is no evidence and no basis for suspicion that requires the Attorney General to request a criminal investigation."

Levin, who was required to nominate the President of the Supreme Court for voting in the Committee for the Selection of Judges, wrote that there is no choice but to postpone the committee meeting due to the events in which Amit is suspected. "The committee should conduct a thorough investigation regarding any complaint, claim, or reservation submitted concerning a candidate for the position," Levin argued.