Israeli Attorney General Seeks Supreme Court Halt on Police Investigations Department Appointments Until After Elections

Israeli Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has requested the Supreme Court to suspend the appointment process for the new leadership of the Police Investigations Department (Mahash) until after the upcoming elections. In a statement submitted on Thursday, she argued that the current appointment committee is subject to significant political influence, particularly from the Minister of Justice, which risks politicizing the law enforcement body.

Baharav-Miara highlighted concerns over the composition of the selection committee responsible for appointing the department’s director and supervisor. She noted that the committee is not yet fully formed, with one member appointed by the State Comptroller’s Committee still pending. She also criticized the involvement of the Ministry of Justice’s Director-General in nominating a candidate to the committee, claiming this gave the Justice Minister undue influence over three of the five committee members.

The Attorney General emphasized that advancing the appointments now would bind the incoming government to decisions made by the current administration, despite no urgent need for the new appointments since the existing department continues to operate under an acting head. She urged the Supreme Court to prevent any further progress in the appointment process during the election period.

This legal challenge comes amid political tensions surrounding the establishment of Mahash as an independent entity separate from the State Prosecutor’s Office, a move approved by the Knesset but opposed by Baharav-Miara. Reports indicate that her office has been pressuring committee members to resign to stall the department’s formation. The selection committee, chaired by the Ministry of Justice Director-General Itamar Donenfeld and including the State Comptroller’s representative Avi Amiram, has kept some members’ identities confidential due to these pressures.

Critics argue that the Attorney General’s interference underscores the need for an independent Police Investigations Department, as previously recommended by the State Comptroller, to avoid conflicts of interest inherent in its current integration with the prosecution system.