Netanyahu moves to fire attorney general prosecuting him for corruption
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Netanyahu at his trial in January. Photo: Yaviv Katz/POOL/AFP via Getty
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government unanimously voted Monday to fire Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who is currently prosecuting him for corruption.
- The Supreme Court immediately issued an injunction blocking the move.
Why it matters: This is the first time an Israeli government has ever voted to fire an attorney general. The move sparked immediate accusations Netanyahu was seeking to protect himself and his aides.
- In addition to prosecuting Netanyahu in his ongoing trial, Baharav-Miara is also investigating his advisers' alleged Qatar connections.
- The resolution is one in a series of challenges to Israel's democratic institutions under Netanyahu, which pre-dated the war in Gaza and have continued during it.
Yes, but: Before the cabinet vote, the supreme court told the government this procedure for firing the attorney general was inappropriate and made clear it would issue an injunction if it passed.
- Once it did, the court swiftly ruled that the attorney general would maintain all her authorities and the government won't be allowed to name a replacement.
- The firing won't come into effect until the supreme court rules on the immediate appeals against it.
What to watch: While the supreme court is likely to rule against the government, Netanyahu and his loyalists pushed this move to rally their political base, delegitimize the attorney general and pressure her to resign.
- Several cabinet ministers said Baharav-Miara will now be boycotted. She'll no longer be invited to meetings and her legal opinions will be disregarded.
- The current clash could reignite a constitutional crisis and plunge the country back into the political turmoil that gripped it before the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.
Catch up quick: Netanyahu is standing trial for charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three separate cases.
- He's accused of accepting more than $200,000 in gifts from wealthy businessmen, and of granting regulatory benefits worth hundreds of millions of dollars to a telecom tycoon in exchange for favorable news coverage. He denies those accusations.
- The trial has stretched on for four years, in part due to Netanyahu's repeated legal delay tactics. The former head of Israel's Shin Bet security agency has accused the prime minister of trying to use executive powers to stall the case.
- Netanyahu did not participate in the vote to remove Baharav-Miara.
What they are saying: Justice Minister Yariv Levin denied on Monday that the decision was connected to Netanyahu's trial and claimed that the government had reached a "red line" in its "confrontational" relationship with the attorney general.
- Baharav-Miara said in a letter she sent to the cabinet ministers prior to the vote that the unprecedented decision would allow any future government to fire the attorney general for political reasons. She warned that her removal could influence Netanyahu's trial and other criminal investigations against cabinet members.
This breaking news story has been updated throughout.
