Israel’s Netanyahu's government unanimously votes to fire the attorney general who is prosecuting him for corruption

On Monday, Israel’s cabinet voted unanimously to dismiss Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, intensifying a long-brewing clash between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the judiciary — a standoff critics warn poses a grave threat to the country’s democratic framework.

Shortly after the decision, Israel’s Supreme Court issued a freeze on the dismissal while it evaluates whether the move is legally permissible.

Netanyahu and his allies contend that Baharav-Miara has overstepped her authority by blocking the elected government’s decisions, including its effort to remove the head of Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic security service. The attorney general, however, has argued that such interventions are necessary given Netanyahu’s legal entanglements, which include a string of ongoing corruption cases involving the prime minister and several former aides.

Critics charge that Netanyahu — who is currently standing trial on bribery and fraud charges — is eroding judicial independence in order to consolidate power within his ruling coalition, widely seen as the most nationalist and religious in Israel’s history. Netanyahu has rejected these accusations, claiming he is the target of a politically motivated campaign orchestrated by an activist judiciary and amplified by a hostile media.

The firing comes against the backdrop of Netanyahu’s 2023 judicial overhaul push, which prompted months of mass protests and has been widely blamed for weakening national resilience ahead of the October 7 Hamas attack that led to the ongoing war in Gaza.

In response to Monday’s vote, the Movement for Quality Government in Israel — a prominent civil watchdog — filed an emergency petition with the Supreme Court. The group said over 15,000 citizens had signed on to the petition, which it described as an effort to block an “illegal” and “unprecedented” act.

In its statement, the organization accused the government of modifying dismissal protocols only after it failed to remove Baharav-Miara through legal channels, further citing Netanyahu’s conflict of interest due to his corruption trial.

“This decision transforms the attorney general’s role into a political instrument,” the group said. “The legal battle is far from over — we will fight until this dangerous precedent is reversed.”