Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

Karhi: Israeli government to initiate proceedings to dismiss AG

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara “crossed all the red lines, and the time has come to return power to the elected officials,” said the communications minister.

Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi during an Economic Affairs Committee meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, Dec. 18, 2024. Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90.
Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi during an Economic Affairs Committee meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, Dec. 18, 2024. Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90.

Israel’s coalition government intends to start proceedings “in the next two to three weeks” to dismiss Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi revealed on Monday.

“The justice minister prepared a hearing with hundreds of examples of illegal activity—things that are inconceivable for an attorney-general to do,” said Karhi of Baharav-Miara, speaking at the annual Jerusalem Convention of the Basheva weekly and Israel National News.

“There is no scenario in which she will remain in her position,” claimed Karhi, who has spearheaded the process alongside Justice Minister Yariv Levin. “The law states that the AG’s role is to advise and assist the government in advancing policy—not to block it from within,” he added.

“She crossed all the red lines and the time has come to return power to the elected officials. It will happen soon, God willing,” he said.

Karhi launched his effort to remove Baharav-Miara in December, charging her with “deliberately thwarting government policy for political reasons” and “inventing absurd legal impediments.”

The initiative came a month after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tasked Levin with finding a solution to what he described as adversarial legal advice from the attorney general.

In a Dec. 23 meeting, coalition leaders reached a decisive agreement authorizing Levin to begin formal proceedings against Baharav-Miara.

According to Israeli law, Baharav-Miara does not work for the prime minister, as opposed to in the United States, where the attorney general is an agent of the executive branch. Netanyahu has often clashed with Baharav-Miara, who was appointed by Naftali Bennett in 2022.

Akiva Van Koningsveld is a news desk editor for JNS.org. Originally from The Hague, he made the big move from the Netherlands to Israel in 2020. Before joining JNS, he worked as a policy officer at the Center for Information and Documentation Israel, a Dutch organization dedicated to fighting antisemitism and spreading awareness about the Arab-Israel conflict. With a passion for storytelling and justice, he studied journalism at the University of Applied Sciences Utrecht and later earned a law degree from Utrecht University, focusing on human rights and civil liability.
A senior U.S. official read aloud the text of the Trump administration’s deal with Iran in a call with reporters, revealing the full text for the first time.
“Hatzalah has become an integral part of our national resilience,” Netanyahu adviser Ron Dermer told supporters at the organization’s annual fundraiser.
“Our hope is that HHS will ensure that if APA is going to continue to be a recipient of federal funds, that it comes into compliance with its obligations under the federal civil rights law,” Rebecca Harris of the Brandeis Center told JNS.
“This is a victory of vision, perseverance and Zionism, and another step on the path to the development of Samaria and a million residents,” said Samaria Regional Council Chairman Yossi Dagan.
Natalie Poulson told JNS that Democratic candidate Luc Jasmin III’s comments are “discrediting” and pointed to an increase in antisemitic incidents of Jew-hatred in the state.
The European Commission is reportedly preparing options after member states failed to reach consensus on broader sanctions against Israel.