The former prosecutor at Tel Aviv’s district attorney’s office for civil affairs Gali Baharav-Miara has been swiftly confirmed on Monday as Israel’s new attorney general to replace Avichai Mandelblit.
She is the first woman to serve in the role.
Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar said “It is appropriate to appoint a woman to this position for the first time in the history of the country. But I suggest appointing attorney Baharav-Miara, not for this reason, but because she is the best, most mature, most worthy candidate, and possesses the richest and most impressive professional and managerial background.”
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After a brief meeting of less than 15 minutes, during which the ministers primarily discussed the NSO-police eavesdropping affair, the cabinet Gali Baharav-appointment.
Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett have previously officially endorsed her over two other search committee nominees: Roi Scheindorf, the current deputy attorney general for international law, and Defense Ministry legal adviser Itai Ofir.
However, some have highlighted concerns about her relative inexperience and her work’s relative obscurity. You may learn more about it here.
Mandelblit completed his six-year term as attorney general last week on Monday night, with State Prosecutor Amit Aisman serving as acting attorney general until a permanent replacement is appointed.
Mandelblit was appointed by former PM Benjamin Netanyahu, who constantly criticized state prosecutors, the police, judiciary during his final years in office.
“Some attempted to portray the harm they wished to inflict on the rule of law as an ideological move disguised as ‘governance,'” he explained in a farewell party. “However, time and time again, we discovered that the true motivation for these actions was a desire to pursue personal interests, seriously undermining the idea of public integrity.”
Mandelblit’s successor faces many high-profile cases. These include the state gifts provided to Netanyahu and ordered to be returned, a $20,000 gift to ex-Mossad commander Yossi Cohen from James Packer, the Australian billionaire, and the alleged harassment of state witness Shlomo Filber by two of Netanyahu’s aides.
The new appointee will also have to decide whether and how to proceed with plea bargain negotiations for Netanyahu, who is facing charges in three graft cases and whose lawyers have been negotiating with Mandelblit in recent weeks, apparently coming close to a settlement.
