Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara reacted strongly today (Thursday) to the criticism she received from Justice Minister Yariv Levin over her refusal to represent the government's position in a number of cases before the Supreme Court.
“The Attorney General’s Office under my leadership will continue to fulfill its role to assist the government in achieving its policies within the boundaries of the law,” Baharav-Miara wrote.
“At the same time, the expectation that the Attorney General’s Office will transgress its role and avoid overseeing the executive branch to its satisfaction will mute its voice clarifying petitions in the Supreme Court of Justice, or will be deterred from serving as a gatekeeper is an illegitimate expectation,” she continued. “Doing so would severely harm the rule of law, the proper functioning of government, and in practice the public."
Minister Levin's office responded: "At no point did he threaten her with dismissal, the attorney general does not give an explanation in her letter for the gap between how she treated the previous government and the current government and opposes almost everything the government wants to promote. For eight months, Levin has been waiting to receive a letter from the attorney general regarding the reforms and even a sentence on one of the proposals we tried to promote - she did not do even that."
Yesterday, Minister Levin accused Baharav-Miara of "trampling" on his rights to have representation in court.