The government is expected to take up a motion of “no confidence” in Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara on Sunday, according to the agenda for the 11 a.m. cabinet meeting that placed the motion at its head.
Earlier this month, Justice Minister Yariv Levin began the process of removing Baharav-Miara from her post, accusing her of having politicized her office and repeatedly thwarting the will of the government. He has set in motion various bureaucratic processes required under the law to fire the attorney general.
The confirmation of the plan came just hours after the cabinet voted early Friday morning to dismiss Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, the first time in Israeli history that the government has fired the head of the internal security agency.
Baharav-Miara, who was present for the vote Friday and opposed the decision, had previously warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he could not fire Bar before her office reviewed his motives for doing so, amid a Shin Bet investigation into the premier’s aides and their alleged ties to Qatar.
On Friday, an 86-page document prepared by Levin, who will bring the motion of no-confidence in Baharav-Miara, was distributed and published online.
The document said Baharav-Miara has been acting “as the long arm of the government’s opponents and does not hesitate to use any means to thwart the will of the voters.”
Justice Minister Yariv Levin (left) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, pictured during a vote in the Knesset on December 31, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
It also said her office has become “a tyrannical political authority, at times violent and predatory.”
The document claimed Baharav-Miara has taken advantage of the political division in Israel to create “two legal systems — one for the government’s opponents and one for its supporters.”
The attorney general has repeatedly opposed the government over legislation it has proposed, as well as appointments it has made and actions it has initiated, arguing on numerous occasions that the measures taken by the government contravened the law and undermined the rule of law in different ways.
Lapid vows to challenge decision in court
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, responding to the agenda item, wrote on X, “This process is also taking place amid a conflict of interest. We will petition [the High Court of Justice] against this decision, too. This decision, too, will be invalidated.”
Lapid’s Yesh Atid party, as well as fellow opposition parties National Unity, Yisrael Beytenu, and the Democrats, filed a petition on Friday against the decision to fire Bar. Several civil society groups also filed suit against the Shin Bet chief’s dismissal, claiming conflicts of interest and ulterior motives on the part of Netanyahu and his government.
“Netanyahu is pressured and scared by the ‘Qatar-gate’ investigations, which have arrived at his office’s doorstep. He will not manage to escape,” Lapid added.
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid attends a protest against the government’s decision to fire Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, outside the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, March 19, 2025. (Yonatan SIndel/Flash90)
Earlier this month, Levin began the process of removing Baharav-Miara from her post, accusing her of having politicized her office and repeatedly thwarting the will of the government.
The no-confidence motion is the first of several that the government must take to remove the attorney general from office, and the process is expected to last several months.
What comes next
After the motion is passed, the government must convene the five-member public committee responsible for appointing, and to a large extent, dismissing, the attorney general. As two spots on the committee are currently open, they must be filled before it can convene.
The committee will give the attorney general a hearing to allow her to present her position, after which it will issue a recommendation on whether or not she should be fired. While the government isn’t required to follow the recommendation, it must also give Baharav-Miara a hearing.
Finally, the High Court of Justice will hear petitions filed against the dismissal of the attorney general before the final decision is made.
The process of firing Baharav-Miara could take months and would be certain to be challenged in court.
Jeremy Sharon and Lazar Berman contributed to this report.
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