Israeli Knesset Nears Final Approval of Law Splitting Attorney General Role

In the final week before the Knesset dissolves, the parliament is set to approve a significant law that divides the role of the Attorney General into three separate positions. The legislation, spearheaded by MK Simcha Rothman and advanced through months of deliberations in the Constitution Committee, aims to separate the current consolidated powers of the Attorney General, who now oversees government legal advice, criminal prosecution, and state representation in courts.

The proposed law will create three distinct roles: Attorney General, General Prosecutor, and State Representative in courts. This restructuring is intended to clarify and distribute the responsibilities currently centralized in one office. The bill has undergone numerous revisions and faced intense opposition, including 14,500 objections submitted by the opposition in an effort to delay its passage.

A notable amendment removed a controversial clause regarding the subordination of legal advisors in government ministries, effectively maintaining the status quo on that issue. Rothman emphasized that this change does not upgrade government decisions to legislative status but leaves the matter silent in the law.

The final vote on the bill is scheduled for Wednesday, alongside other key laws pushed by the coalition in the Knesset's last days before its dissolution on Friday. These include laws on Torah study, freezing the detention of yeshiva students, a communications law proposed by Minister Shlomo Karhi, and a kosher certification law, some of which have already prompted petitions to the Supreme Court.