Finance Minister Smotrich Sues Attorney General Over Housing Tender
Translated & summarized from Makor Rishon by baba
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich filed a personal petition with the High Court of Justice against Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara over her directive to delay a housing tender in Ma'ale Adumim. Smotrich argues the delay, intended to prevent election propaganda, is improper and hinders professional processes. He seeks to have the tender proceed as scheduled or at least open bids shortly after the upcoming elections. The minister also requested reimbursement for personal legal expenses incurred due to being denied separate representation.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich petitioned the High Court against Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara over a housing tender.
- Smotrich argues the Attorney General's delay of the tender is improper and politically motivated.
- The tender involves 1,234 housing units in the Mebaseret Adumim neighborhood of Ma'ale Adumim.
- Smotrich personally drafted the petition after being denied separate legal representation.
- He requested reimbursement for court fees paid from his private funds.
- The Attorney General cited concerns about election propaganda for the delay.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich filed an urgent petition with the High Court of Justice against Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, challenging her directive to delay a tender for 1,234 housing units in the Ma'ale Adumim settlement.
Smotrich personally drafted the petition after being denied separate legal representation, arguing that the Attorney General's instruction to postpone the opening of bids, review proposals, and announce winners until November 19, 2026, was improper. The tender, for the Mebaseret Adumim neighborhood (E1 South area), was initially marketed on August 18, 2026. Smotrich is seeking to cancel the directive and allow the tender process to continue as scheduled by professional officials.
Alternatively, Smotrich proposed opening the bids shortly after the October 27, 2026, Knesset elections, rather than the three-week delay mandated by the Attorney General. He also requested the court consolidate his petition with a pending one from the Ma'ale Adumim municipality, as the bid submission deadline is October 19, 2026.
The petition strongly criticizes the legal advice that the tender should be postponed to prevent its use for prohibited election propaganda. Smotrich asserted that the tender resulted from professional work initiated with political approval in October 2025, well before the election period, and that opening the bids is a routine administrative action. He detailed internal discussions with Deputy Attorney General Gil Limon, where Smotrich proposed opening bids the day after the election, but Limon countered with a one-week delay, which Smotrich rejected due to concerns about international pressure during government formation.
Smotrich accused the Attorney General's office of bad faith, citing their response to the Ma'ale Adumim municipality's petition, which stated the minister was not involved and had no position. Smotrich highlighted that this misrepresented his active opposition and prior discussions. He also demanded the Attorney General reimburse him for the court fees he paid personally, as he was forced to draft the petition himself due to the denial of separate representation.
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