Finance Minister Smotrich Petitions High Court Against Attorney General's Construction Delay

Finance Minister and Religious Zionism party chairman Bezalel Smotrich has petitioned the High Court of Justice (Bagatz) to overturn a directive from Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara that halted a tender for the construction of 1,234 housing units in the E1 area.

Smotrich is requesting the court cancel Baharav-Miara's instruction to delay the opening of bids and the announcement of tender winners for the project, located in Mevaseret Adumim, near Ma'ale Adumim. The tender is for land intended for the construction of these units across seven sectors.

According to the petition, the political approval for advancing the tender was granted in October 2025, prior to the election period. Smotrich argues that since this approval, professional echelons have advanced the tender stages according to a predetermined schedule, without political interference from elected officials.

The Finance Minister sharply criticized the Attorney General's decision, accusing her of "officially, illegitimately, and illegally joining the campaign of Gadi Eisenkot, who announced he would cancel construction in the E1 area." Smotrich emphasized the area's strategic importance, stating that construction there would connect Jerusalem and Ma'ale Adumim, establishing Israeli-Jewish territorial contiguity and preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Smotrich further claimed that Baharav-Miara is being used as a tool by the Israeli left to establish a Palestinian state that would endanger Israeli citizens. He asserted that he was forced to draft the petition himself and pay the court fees from his private funds for his position to be heard.

The minister linked the dispute to his party's proposed judicial reforms, including splitting the Attorney General's role and regulating their powers, stating his party intends to pursue this in the next term. He argued that when an elected minister cannot present their position through the state, and the Attorney General both halts the process and dictates representation, "something in the system must change."