Israel’s Tel Aviv, On Sunday, the Israeli cabinet overwhelmingly approved a resolution of no-confidence against Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, starting the intricate process of her dismissal. No Attorney General in Israel has ever been dismissed.

A conflict of interest from his corruption conviction prevented Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from attending the conference. Justice Minister Yariv Levin presided over the meeting.

Baharav-Miara sent a scathing letter instead of attending the government meeting.

“The idea aims to foster allegiance to the political elite rather than trust, thus it must be interpreted as such. “Unlimited governmental power, not governance, as part of a larger move to weaken the judiciary and deter all professional echelons,” she said in her letter. “The government seeks to be above the law, and to act without checks and balances, even during the most sensitive periods – a time of emergency, protests against the government, and an election period.”

Citing “inappropriate behaviour” and “substantial differences” with Baharav-Miara, the administration claims these points obstruct efficient governance. The opposition claims that the actions taken to dismiss Bar and Baharav-Miara are anti-democratic and partisan.

The Attorney General was criticized by Levin for not physically attending the meeting. In addition to ignoring the ministers’ demands and failing to reply to my own, the adviser virtually always declines to attend before the Constitution Committee. I get a flagrant disdain for my letters as Minister of Justice, not to mention what’s going on with other ministries,” Levin said.

It is anticipated that the dismissal procedure would take around two months. The selection committee that chose her must be consulted by the government. Before determining whether to support Baharav-Miara’s dismissal, the committee will next convene a hearing during which she will explain herself. The government still has the last word, however.

The selection committee’s two open seats, which need to be filled by a previous attorney general and a member of the ruling coalition’s Knesset, complicate things. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, a former Justice Minister, and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana are expected to join that committee.

The High Court of Justice will be petitioned by opposition organizations to stop the Attorney General’s dismissal.

“The accused wants to remove his prosecutor today because Netanyahu attempted to fire his interrogator during the interrogation. “It’s corrupt, it’s illegal, and it won’t pass,” opposition leader Yair Lapid said in a tweet.

Then-Justice Minister Sa’ar nominated Baharav-Miara, who became the first woman to serve as Attorney General in 2022. Baharav-Miara is no longer supported by Sa’ar.

“She was the cabinet secretary in the previous government, and she is the opposition leader in ours,” said Environmental Minister Idit Sliman.

The Attorney General is in charge of public prosecution, acts as the government’s top lawyer, represents the state in court, and represents the public interest in legal issues. The role is only available for one six-year tenure.

There has never been a removal of an Israeli Attorney General. In order to focus on his political career, Gideon Hausner, the Attorney General who served as the lead prosecutor during Adolf Eichmann’s 1961 trial, resigned in 1963. Midway through his tenure, Aharon Barak was elevated to the Supreme Court in 1978. Additionally, Michael Ben-Yair resigned in 1997 when a new administration was elected.

Additionally, the cabinet agreed on Friday to remove Ronen Bar from his position as head of the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet). The High Court of Justice, however, temporarily blocked Bar’s termination.

Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, the Shin Bet, is in charge of cybersecurity, internal security, VIP protection, counterterrorism, and counterintelligence. No director of Shin Bet has ever been dismissed before the conclusion of their five-year tenure.