TEL AVIV: Israel’s Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara on Monday warned that the country is experiencing democratic backsliding under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, citing threats to judicial independence and what she described as growing disregard for court rulings by the executive branch.
Baharav-Miara, who also serves as the government’s legal adviser, has frequently clashed with Netanyahu’s administration since it came to power in late 2022. Speaking at a conference organised by the Israeli Bar Association in the southern city of Eilat, she expressed concern that democratic institutions were increasingly under pressure.
“Given the approach of the end of the current Knesset’s term, a race has begun to eliminate democratic institutions,” she said, according to a statement issued by her office.
The attorney general highlighted two bills currently advancing through Israel’s parliament. One proposal seeks to divide the powers of the attorney general by creating a separate “prosecutor general” position that would be appointed by the justice minister. Another bill would expand the authority of far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir over the police.
Baharav-Miara also criticised what she described as the government’s broader failure to respect court decisions. She warned that persistent calls by government figures to ignore judicial rulings could undermine public confidence in the legal system.
“In a situation where the government calls for court rulings not to be obeyed, the day is not far off when a court judgment will be perceived by the public as non-binding,” she said.
Her remarks were partly directed at the government’s handling of military conscription for Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. For decades, many ultra-Orthodox men were exempt from mandatory military service, but Israel’s Supreme Court has repeatedly challenged the arrangement.
The issue culminated in a 2024 Supreme Court ruling requiring the government to begin conscripting ultra-Orthodox men. However, Netanyahu has resisted efforts to fully implement the decision, relying on the support of ultra-Orthodox parties to maintain his governing coalition.
Baharav-Miara argued that the current situation creates an unequal burden on those who serve in the military while allowing widespread avoidance of conscription among ultra-Orthodox men.
“It is not possible, from a legal standpoint, to cooperate with a situation in which, on the one hand, the government increases the burden on those who serve, while on the other hand it permits mass draft evasion, and some would even say encourages it,” she said.