Knesset Committee Advances Partial Split of Attorney General Role Amid Time Constraints

Amid concerns in the coalition that the full Attorney General role-splitting bill will not pass before the Knesset dissolves ahead of upcoming elections, Knesset Constitution Committee Chair Simcha Rothman announced on Saturday that the committee will discuss splitting the bill into parts. The full bill includes around 500 clauses, and the government fears it will not have time to debate and pass all of them before the Knesset disperses. Rothman informed committee members that the discussion scheduled for Sunday will start at 11:00 AM to allow time to adjust the clauses to the new format. The initial focus will be on advancing only the clauses already debated, which concern the Attorney General’s legal opinions, government legal representation, and oversight of the Attorney General’s duties.

According to the proposed legislation, the government could decide to represent itself before the Supreme Court even against the Attorney General’s opinion, which the Attorney General would be required to obey. If the Attorney General refuses, they would be barred from representing the opposing position. The bill also stipulates that the Attorney General’s legal opinions would not create binding law unless the government decides otherwise, effectively allowing the government to reject those opinions.

The full bill, which has passed a first reading, would split the current Attorney General role into two separate positions: the Attorney General and the State Prosecutor. The State Prosecutor would handle criminal law and lead the prosecution, while the Attorney General would oversee other legal matters and lead the government’s legal advisory system and non-criminal prosecution. Supporters argue the split is necessary to prevent excessive concentration of power in one office and to resolve inherent conflicts of interest, as the Attorney General currently both advises the government and prosecutes government ministers.

The decision to advance only part of the bill reflects the government’s urgency to ensure some reform passes before the Knesset’s dissolution. The committee will prioritize clauses already discussed to secure legislative progress under tight time constraints.