Israel's Supreme Court Halts Police Investigations Unit Law Amid Election Period

Israel's Supreme Court has issued an interim order freezing a law designed to grant greater independence to the Police Internal Investigations Department (Mahash). The decision, made by a majority of Justices Yitzhak Amit and Daphne Barak-Erez over the dissent of Justice Noam Solberg, cited the upcoming election period and immediate implications for Mahash's operations as key reasons for the freeze.

The law, passed by the Knesset in June shortly before its dissolution, aimed to separate Mahash from the State Prosecutor's Office, establishing it as an independent unit within the Ministry of Justice with its own budget and enhanced powers to investigate and prosecute police officers for criminal offenses.

It also introduced a new mechanism for appointing the Mahash director through a dedicated selection committee and created a new role for a coordinator to resolve disputes between Mahash and other investigative and prosecution bodies.

The court's decision acknowledged the petitioners' and the Attorney General's support for an interim order due to the potential impact on Mahash's functioning and the sensitive election timing. Conversely, the Knesset and the Justice Minister opposed the freeze, emphasizing the legislature's authority.

Previously, there were reports suggesting that Justice Solberg had attempted to prevent the interim order, as such orders are typically issued with unanimous consent, a practice that was broken with this decision.