MK Simcha Rothman, chair of the Knesset Constitution Committee, arrived at Tel Aviv University on Thursday for a debate with public law expert Dr. Ronit Levine-Schnur, and his visit sparked a loud protest outside the law faculty building. Dozens of demonstrators, including faculty members and protest activists, gathered with megaphones and drums. According to witnesses, they shouted at Rothman, including “Murderer!” and “1,200 dead!”.
Students inside the hall said Rothman responded to the heckling by shaking his head cynically when the “murderer” chants were heard. Despite the disruption outside, attendees described the debate itself as “polite and respectful.” Rothman said he would not let an “anti-democratic mob” silence him.
The protest came as Rothman is promoting a bill to split the role of the attorney general, which the Constitution Committee debated on Monday in a tense session. During that discussion, Rothman said the attorney general is not an objective authority and accused the office of political bias, arguing that “you cannot hold fair elections with bureaucracy that is fighting for its life against elected officials.” He also said the attorney general issue would be central in the upcoming election and that anyone in the Justice Ministry or Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara’s office who has a position on it should first apply that standard to themselves.
Under the proposal, which has already passed its first reading in the Knesset plenum, the attorney general’s role would be split. The government would appoint its own legal adviser, whose opinion would not be binding, while a separate state prosecutor would head criminal prosecution for a six-year term, appointed by a public committee and subject only to the law. The government would also be able to disregard legal advice, hire private counsel, and avoid using the attorney general’s office in court. The explanatory notes say the bill is meant to prevent excessive concentration of power and an inherent conflict of interest in the current setup.
