Israel Attorney-General urges Netanyahu to fire Ben-Gvir for violating court orders

Israel’s Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, is advising Prime Minister Netanyahu to fire  far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, for breaking the law, unless he changes his behaviour.

According to The Times of Israel, this comes after Ben-Gvir called for Baharav-Miara’s dismissal following a Channel 13 report about his political activities. The Attorney-General is preparing a response to a High Court petition filed in September, which seeks Ben-Gvir’s removal for interfering with the police in violation of court orders.

In March 2023, the High Court ordered Ben-Gvir to stop giving operational orders to the police regarding anti-government protests, and issued a further injunction in January 2024.

The Attorney-General and the State Attorney’s Office believe Ben-Gvir has broken the law in his role overseeing the police. Baharav-Miara is expected to present Netanyahu with evidence of Ben-Gvir’s alleged illegal actions, which could lead to his removal.

However, according to The Times of Israel, she is trying to explore all options before responding to the court, including issuing a final warning to Netanyahu that Ben-Gvir must change his behaviour to avoid a court ruling that could jeopardise the ruling coalition.

Moreover, Baharav-Miara has requested a seven-day extension to file the state’s response to the petitions, originally due by Sunday.

In response, Ben-Gvir accused Baharav-Miara and Channel 13 of “working together to topple the right-wing leadership”, and added that he was again calling on Netanyahu “to fire the Attorney- General who is working against the government.”

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