Israeli Attorney General Demands Supreme Court Freeze Police Investigations Unit Reform Law

Israeli Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has petitioned the Supreme Court to immediately halt the advancement of a new law restructuring the Police Investigations Department (Mahash). In her request, she called for an interim injunction to stop the establishment of what she termed a "political prosecution unit" that would intimidate police officers, investigators, prosecutors, and journalists. Baharav-Miara warned that the amendment would politicize criminal law enforcement, likening it to authoritarian regimes, by creating a separate unit directly controlled by the Minister of Justice and his office, undermining the independence of investigators and prosecutors.

She further criticized the appointment committee for the new department head as being dominated by political figures, granting the Minister of Justice excessive control over appointments and dismissals. The law also introduces a new role, the "Coordinator," with powers to resolve disputes and potentially override the Attorney General’s office, which Baharav-Miara argued could be used to exert political influence over police investigations. She expressed concern that the law lacks safeguards to ensure impartiality and could lead to selective law enforcement and damage public trust in the justice system.

The law, passed in the Knesset several weeks ago, mandates that the Police Investigations Department be separated from the State Prosecution and become an independent body. However, earlier the same day, the Knesset’s legal advisor, Shagit Afik, issued an opinion opposing a freeze on the law’s implementation, recommending against interim injunctions that would delay the department’s formation or the selection committee’s work.

In parallel, Baharav-Miara and the State Prosecution have reportedly pressured potential candidates for the new department’s leadership to discourage their participation. Justice Minister Yariv Levin sharply condemned these actions as illegal interference and intimidation, calling them characteristic of third-world countries. Levin emphasized that the reform aims to restore public trust and independence to the Police Investigations Department, which he said had long lost credibility due to biased handling of complaints against police officers. He asserted that attempts to sabotage the reform stem from the legal establishment’s desire to maintain control over the unit and, by extension, the police force.