Ben-Gvir demands Baharav-Miara's removal to join Netanyahu's next coalition

Lead

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has made the immediate dismissal and replacement of Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara a threshold condition for his Otzma Yehudit party to join the next government, according to a letter he sent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.

In the letter, Ben-Gvir made clear that, from his perspective, Baharav-Miara's continued tenure was incompatible with continued coalition cooperation. He said the issue of the attorney-general would be a precondition for Otzma Yehudit's entry into the next government.

Coverage Comparison

The Jerusalem Post reported the development in two separate articles. One article, published on July 21, focused on Ben-Gvir's demand as relayed in his letter to Netanyahu. The other article, published on July 20, detailed the Attorney-General's Office's update to the High Court of Justice regarding police independence. Though both articles come from the same outlet, they cover distinct aspects of the broader conflict between the national security minister and the attorney-general.

The first article emphasized Ben-Gvir's precondition and the context of his clashes with Baharav-Miara. The second article highlighted the Attorney-General's Office's assertion that significant gaps remain concerning police independence from ministerial influence, even after a court-backed framework was established.

Key Claims

• Ben-Gvir's letter to Netanyahu made Baharav-Miara's dismissal a precondition for Otzma Yehudit's participation in the next government.
• The move comes amid prolonged clashes between Ben-Gvir and Baharav-Miara over legal and policy issues, including the national security minister's authority, police policy, senior appointments, and various government decisions, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.

• Ben-Gvir has repeatedly claimed that Baharav-Miara exceeds her authority and prevents the elected government from implementing its policies. Baharav-Miara, for her part, has stressed that her role is to ensure government decisions align with the law and principles of administrative law, the Jerusalem Post reported.

• The Attorney-General's Office told the High Court of Justice that Ben-Gvir has continued to disregard the principle that the police must remain independent of political influence. The office's update stated: "There remain gaps - significant gaps - concerning the core principle of police independence from ministerial influence," as quoted by the Jerusalem Post.

• The update was filed in petitions seeking to compel Netanyahu to dismiss Ben-Gvir. After ordering Netanyahu in February to justify keeping him in office, the court in April stopped short of ordering Ben-Gvir's removal and instead gave a principles-based framework governing his involvement in police matters binding force, imposed interim restrictions, and ordered the parties to negotiate more detailed procedures, according to the Jerusalem Post.