Thousands protest in Jerusalem against attempts to dismiss Israeli attorney general

JERUSALEM

Thousands of Israelis demonstrated outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office in west Jerusalem on Sunday against efforts to dismiss Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar.

According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, demonstrators marched from Gaza Street, where Netanyahu’s official residence is located, to his office, where the government was meeting to vote on Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s proposal to withdraw confidence from Baharav-Miara.

"Breaking the independence of key institutions in the state and dismantling the systems of oversight and restraint on the power of the government will bring us, at lightning speed, to a complete transformation of the country's character,” former Supreme Court Justice Ayala Procaccia warned.

On Friday, Netanyahu’s office said that the government had unanimously agreed to remove Bar as head of the Shin Bet domestic security service, marking a first in Israel’s history.

Earlier in March, Levin initiated proceedings to remove Baharav-Miara, following prolonged disputes with her since the formation of Netanyahu’s government in late 2022.

Baharav-Miara was appointed as attorney general on Feb. 7, 2022, for a six-year term by the justice minister, with the approval of the government.

Right-wing ministers in Netanyahu’s coalition have accused Baharav-Miara of using her authority based on left-leaning views that undermine the government’s agenda.

In contrast to Netanyahu’s government, Baharav-Miara has repeatedly called for an official inquiry into the failures of Oct. 7, 2023. This demand has angered the Israeli premier and his party, who strongly oppose such an investigation.

The Israeli army has launched a surprise aerial campaign on Gaza since Tuesday, killing more than 700 Palestinians, injuring over 1,200 others, and shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.

More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and more than 113,000 injured in a brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 2023.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.