Israeli Supreme Court Blocks Justice Minister From Advancing Police Investigations Department Appointment

On Sunday, Israeli Supreme Court President Justice Isaac Amit barred Justice Minister Yariv Levin from proceeding with the appointment process for the head of the Police Investigations Department (Mahash) and other key roles within the department. This injunction remains in place until interim rulings are issued on petitions filed with the High Court of Justice challenging recent legislative amendments known as the "Mahash Law." These amendments transfer the Police Investigations Department from the Attorney General's authority to the Justice Ministry.

Justice Amit's decision specifically prohibits any new actions to advance appointments under the contested legislative changes until the court rules on the interim injunction requests. The petitions were submitted by several bodies including the Movement for Quality Government, the Academy for Israel Democracy, the Israel Bar Association, and a forum of current and former senior police officers. They seek to halt the appointment committee's work after four of five members were appointed and a call for candidates was published, with candidate screening and interviews planned.

Previously, Justice Amit had ruled that the status quo must be maintained until Minister Levin responds to the petitions. Levin argued that the appointment process should continue despite the upcoming elections, asserting the committee is obligated to proceed under the new law. However, the court's latest ruling prevents Levin from advancing the process until the government legal advisor submits a response by August 27.

The Movement for Quality Government praised the ruling as crucial to preserving the independence of law enforcement and preventing a political takeover during the election period. They emphasized that Mahash must remain a professional, independent body free from political influence, warning against allowing the Justice Minister to appoint leadership for six years through a process heavily influenced by his office before the court decides on the petitions. Earlier, the Academy for Israel Democracy also sent a letter to Levin demanding that the appointed committee members refrain from any appointment actions until the committee is fully constituted according to the law, which has not yet occurred.