Israeli Attorney General Urges Ministers to Exercise Restraint Following Knesset Dissolution

Israeli Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has called on government ministers to act with restraint and caution in exercising their powers after the Knesset was dissolved and the government became a caretaker administration. In a letter sent on Friday to Government Secretary Yossi Fox, Baharav-Miara emphasized that the current government must exercise moderation, especially given judicial rulings warning against prioritizing narrow partisan interests over the public good during this sensitive period.

Baharav-Miara noted that with elections scheduled for October 27, 2026, Israel is now officially in an election period, and the government’s authority and scope of action differ from those of a regular administration. She cited court decisions requiring caretaker governments to refrain from taking non-urgent actions and to carefully balance the need for governance with the obligation to exercise restraint.

The Attorney General instructed that before making decisions on non-routine matters, ministers and relevant officials must consult their ministry’s legal advisors. She also announced that detailed guidelines would soon be issued to all government ministries regarding decision-making, appointments, subsidies, international agreements, and other governmental activities during this caretaker phase.

Baharav-Miara further clarified that special administrative considerations apply even before the formal dissolution of the Knesset, especially when the election date is known or imminent, as was the case in recent weeks amid political discussions and the first reading of the Knesset dissolution bill. She requested that the Government Secretariat circulate her letter to all ministers and ensure that legal opinions attached to government proposals explicitly address the limitations imposed by the caretaker status and the principles of restraint and moderation.

This guidance aims to prevent the outgoing government from creating irreversible situations that could hinder the incoming administration and to uphold public trust during the transition period.