Israeli government approves proposal to dismiss attorney general

ISTANBUL

The Israeli government unanimously voted on Monday evening to dismiss Attorney General, local media said.

Public broadcaster KAN said all the Cabinet ministers voted in favor of a proposal submitted by Justice Minister Yariv Levin for the dismissal of Gali Baharav-Miara.

The attorney general refused to participate in the voting session, calling it “fundamentally contrary to law” in a letter to the government.

She accused the justice minister of “looking for a legal adviser who will obey the government and approve its law violations,” such as exempting ultra-Orthodox Jews, or Haredi, from mandatory military service, the daily Yedioth Ahronoth said.

According to KAN, Israel’s High Court issued an interim order suspending the government’s decision, stating that it is unauthorized to remove the attorney general from her post.

Baharav-Miara served as a prosecutor in Netanyahu’s corruption trial.

Netanyahu faces three separate cases of corruption, filed in 2019 -- cases 1,000, 2,000 and 4,000 -- which include accusations of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. He denies any wrongdoing, calling the accusations “fake.”

Netanyahu, whose trial began on May 24, 2020, is the first sitting Israeli leader to take the stand as a criminal defendant in the country’s history.