United Torah Judaism Agrees to Back Split of Attorney General Role After PM Intervention

The internal coalition crisis over the bill to split the role of Israel's Attorney General has been resolved following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's intervention. United Torah Judaism (UTJ) agreed to support the bill in its second and third readings after the government committed to advancing a separate bill concerning kindergarten teachers, known as the "kindergarten law," which is important to the ultra-Orthodox community.

The dispute had caused a significant delay in the vote on the Attorney General split bill, a key legal reform for the coalition. The bill proposes dividing the Attorney General's powers between different officials, including creating a separate general prosecutor role, aiming to separate legal advice from prosecution duties. Supporters argue this will strengthen governance, while opponents warn it could undermine judicial independence and checks and balances.

The tension highlighted the coalition's fragility in the final phase of the Knesset session. United Torah Judaism leveraged its parliamentary influence to push for commitments benefiting the Haredi sector. Meanwhile, the Religious Zionist Party criticized UTJ leader Moshe Gafni for protecting judicial authority and accused him of enabling continued judicial dominance over the right-wing bloc.

Additionally, internal disputes surfaced between factions, with Degel HaTorah accusing Religious Zionist leader Bezalel Smotrich of seeking to promote his candidate in the Beit Shemesh municipality, controlled by Degel HaTorah, leading to demands to remove the kindergarten clause from the bill.

The resolution allows the coalition to move forward with the Attorney General split legislation, a central part of its judicial reform agenda, while addressing ultra-Orthodox community concerns through the kindergarten law.