Israeli Supreme Court Freezes State Attorney's Handling of Former Military Advocate Case

The Israeli Supreme Court has temporarily halted the State Attorney's ongoing handling of the case involving former military advocate Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi. Justice Daphne Barak-Erez issued the freeze on Friday morning, suspending the recent court ruling that had allowed State Attorney Amit Isman to continue managing the investigation. This decision came after right-wing groups requested an additional hearing on the ruling. Barak-Erez emphasized that the freeze is a precautionary measure without taking a position on the case's merits and will remain until further notice.

The original ruling, issued on August 12, rejected claims that Isman had a conflict of interest in overseeing the case and denied a request to extend Justice Minister Yariv Levin's time to appoint an external monitor for the investigation. The police completed their investigation in February, but the legal proceedings initiated by right-wing factions delayed the indictment process against Tomer-Yerushalmi for months. The central issue has been who is authorized to handle the case amid allegations of conflicts of interest within the State Attorney's Office.

With the Supreme Court now pausing the case's progress again, Amit Isman will not proceed with the investigation until the court decides otherwise. This unexpected development adds another layer of delay to a high-profile case that has already seen significant legal contention and political involvement.