Judge Soolberg Urged to Resist Legal Advisor's Election-Time Restrictions on Minister Ben Gvir

Legal Advisor Gali Baharav-Miara has been actively attempting to restrict the actions of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir during the election period. Throughout his term, Baharav-Miara has sought to limit Ben Gvir's activities, even petitioning the Supreme Court for his dismissal. The court, aware that removing a minister during elections would benefit the right-wing and Ben Gvir personally, has delayed ruling on the matter. Meanwhile, Baharav-Miara has focused her resources on obstructing Ben Gvir's work by supporting left-wing petitions accusing him of illegal election propaganda, submitted to Judge Noam Soolberg, head of the Elections Committee.

Judge Soolberg initially sided with the legal advisor's positions but recently began moderating his rulings against Ben Gvir, recognizing the political nature of the conflict. For example, he ruled that the minister may be photographed surrounded by armed security officers, allowing him to continue his professional field visits without risking his safety. However, Baharav-Miara escalated the conflict by submitting a draft response to a petition from the left that called to bar Ben Gvir from attending a Police Department event honoring volunteer security teams. She argued that while the event could proceed, the minister should not participate.

This stance is unprecedented, as previous committee chairs allowed ministers to attend clearly political events before elections, such as the Finance Minister attending a sports event a month before elections. Moreover, Baharav-Miara issued new election guidelines after the petition, which appear tailored to prohibit Ben Gvir's participation in the security volunteers' event. The new guidelines remove the word "greet" from the minister's permitted actions and forbid any ministerial presence, distinguishing between the event's legitimacy and the minister's participation, which could constitute propaganda.

Baharav-Miara cited these new guidelines in her legal argument without disclosing their recent amendment. This follows a recent controversial court ruling invalidating the government's decision to close the public broadcaster Galatz, citing improper political motives. The article questions how the court will respond when the legal advisor seemingly changes guidelines based on political considerations targeting a specific minister she seeks to dismiss. It calls on Judge Soolberg to halt and not be swayed by the legal advisor's extreme measures.