Israeli government to discuss dismissal of attorney general on Sunday

By Abderaouf Arnaout and Ikram Kouachi

JERUSALEM (AA) - The Israeli government plans to discuss the dismissal of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara on Sunday, just days after approving the removal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, according to Israeli media.

Citing the official agenda for the upcoming government meeting, Israel’s Channel 12 reported on Friday that the first item scheduled for discussion is Baharav-Miara’s dismissal.

Her removal has been a highly contentious issue in Israeli politics for months, as she has opposed several government decisions. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has repeatedly called for her ousting.

Early Friday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that the government had unanimously agreed to remove Ronen Bar as head of the Shin Bet.

Bar’s term is set to conclude on April 10, or when a permanent successor is appointed.

This marks the first time in Israel’s history that a Shin Bet chief has been dismissed, according to the daily The Times of Israel.

The decision was met with widespread opposition, with thousands of Israelis protesting against it. On Friday morning, opposition parties filed petitions to the Supreme Court in an attempt to block Bar’s dismissal.

In their appeal to the Supreme Court, the opposition parties argued that Bar’s removal represented a "severe conflict of interest" on Netanyahu’s part.

They claimed the decision was influenced by external considerations, including an ongoing Shin Bet investigation into Netanyahu’s office and a recent Shin Bet report that held the government responsible for the failures leading up to the Oct. 7 events.

Speaking at a protest in West Jerusalem on Thursday night, former Shin Bet director Carmi Gillon warned of a looming crisis.

"For his own personal survival, Netanyahu is sacrificing the Shin Bet tonight, the attorney general on Sunday, and later this week, he will destroy the status of the Supreme Court," he told demonstrators.

More than 700 Palestinians have been killed and over 900 injured in a surprise aerial campaign by Israel on Gaza since Tuesday, shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.

Nearly 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 112,000 injured in a brutal Israeli military onslaught in Gaza since October 2023.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.