Knesset Committee Advances Bill to Split Attorney-General Role

A Knesset committee approved a bill to split the attorney-general role into separate positions for advancement to first reading. The Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee passed the measure in a unanimous vote with nine in favor. Opposition lawmakers stated during debate that the vote was unlawful. The committee’s legal advisor permitted the vote to proceed.

The bill was initiated by an MK from the Religious Zionist Party. It passed its preliminary reading in the Knesset plenum in October. The committee merged ten private bills into one version on Monday. The legislation requires amendments to Basic Law: The Government, Basic Law: The Knesset, and Basic Law: The Judiciary.

If the bill passes its first reading, work can continue under the Knesset’s continuity motion policy.

Limon attended the meeting and warned against advancing the legislation. He stated that the measure would abolish the attorney-general’s role as a gate-keeper. Limon added that the attorney-general’s combined functions are especially important during election periods.

He said advancing the bill with a politicized attorney-general poses a risk to democratic elections. Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara has warned that the proposed appointment methods would politicize the office. Efforts to split the attorney-general role have circulated for three decades but never advanced, mainly due to judicial opposition.

The bill is expected to reach the Knesset plenum for a first reading vote soon. The advancement occurs ahead of an anticipated first vote on Knesset dissolution scheduled for Wednesday.