This bill would split the attorney-general’s role into three separate positions: Legal adviser to the government, head of the state prosecution, and representative of the State of Israel in court.
The Knesset plenum advanced the controversial bill to split the role of Israel’s attorney-general into three different positions on Wednesday, which was initiated by MK Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionist Party).
Rothman’s bill passed its preliminary reading by a margin of 59-44.
Various other versions of bills to divide the role of the attorney general were also advanced during the plenary session; however, the bill submitted by Rothman in 2025 is considered among the more radical.
This bill would split the attorney-general’s role into three separate positions: Legal adviser to the government, head of the state prosecution, and representative of the State of Israel in court.
Corruption claims against Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara
The bill proposed by Rothman states that the attorney-general’s role should be split due to “inherent institutional conflicts of interest.”
Justice Minister Yariv Levin spoke strongly against Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara during his remarks at the Knesset’s plenum, calling her “corrupt at her core.”
Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara attends a Constitution, Law and Justice Committee in the Knesset, April 27, 2025. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
Legal scholars have warned that the new bill proposals would place unprecedented power in the government’s hands over its principal legal challenger.
Under the Rothman bill, the A-G would be appointed directly by the prime minister and the justice minister, with government approval, for a term of six years. The candidate must have 10 years of criminal law experience, including at least five years as a District Court judge, but their legal opinions would no longer be binding.
According to Israeli legal precedent, the attorney-general is the governmental organ responsible for interpreting the law for the government, and its interpretations are legally binding. The attorney-general also oversees Israel’s public prosecution apparatus and, as such, decides whether or not to prosecute a sitting MK or minister.
The Attorney-General’s Office is also responsible for representing the government in proceedings against it in the High Court of Justice, and for overseeing the legal advisers in each individual government ministry.
Baharav-Miara was appointed to the position during the previous government’s tenure. The current government has repeatedly accused her of intentionally blocking policy initiatives in order to eventually lead to the government’s downfall; using her power as chief prosecutor to launch politically-motivated “witch hunts”; and refusing to give the government its day in court by siding with petitioners in a number of court cases.
Sarah Ben-Nun and Eliav Breuer contributed to this report.