Supreme Court President Justice Yitzhak Amit issued a temporary injunction Thursday evening suspending the appointment of retired Judge Yosef Ben Hamo as interim representative of the Attorney General in the Sde Teiman military base leak case.
The injunction was issued during deliberations on a petition for a further hearing filed by the Movement for Quality Government in Israel against an earlier court ruling.
“In light of the developments detailed in the petition... and for the purpose of preserving the current state of affairs - a temporary injunction is hereby issued to delay the appointment of Hon. Retired Judge Y. Ben Hamo,” Justice Amit wrote.
Under the order, the Minister of Justice, Attorney General, and State Attorney’s Office must respond to the petition by Sunday at 2:00 p.m., including their stance on the request to suspend implementation of the appointment.
The decision follows Justice Minister Yariv Levin's earlier move to appoint Ben Hamo, formally registering him as a civil servant in line with Supreme Court requirements.
According to the appointment letter, Ben Hamo was assigned to address two key issues: the leak of video footage from the Sde Teiman base, and allegations of obstruction of justice and interference with legal proceedings in the case.
Responding to the court’s decision, Levin stated: “The cover-up operation under the auspices of the Supreme Court has tonight reached a new peak of disgrace. An order issued in the dead of night, once again to thwart oversight of an investigation of utmost importance, and in practice to prevent the pursuit of truth.”
He added, “As if the clock has stopped, as if the unprecedented delays in Israeli legal history are not enough. This is clearly aimed at sabotaging the investigation. I demand the immediate cancellation of the order and dismissal of the baseless petitions blocking Judge Ben Hamo from fulfilling his critical role.”
Levin further accused elements within the judicial system of protecting vested interests: “Above all, it seems some still haven’t internalized that the ‘you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours’ system is glaringly obvious. The public is rapidly losing what little trust it had left in what is supposed to be the justice system.”
In a previous ruling, the court described the case as “exceptional and rare,” granting the Justice Minister temporary authority to appoint a replacement for the Attorney General, provided the appointee met strict criteria: current civil servant status, criminal law expertise, and no political ties or conflicts of interest.
Levin said he had sought a suitable candidate from within the civil service but encountered “significant difficulties in locating a senior civil servant with legal experience, unconnected to the Attorney General or State Attorney’s Office, and willing to assume the role.”
An earlier attempt to appoint State Ombudsman for Judges Asher Kula was blocked by the Supreme Court, citing legal restrictions prohibiting the ombudsman from holding additional roles during his term.
Ordinarily, the investigation would fall under Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, but the court disqualified her from overseeing it due to a conflict of interest stemming from her prior involvement in the case.