Government votes in favor of appointing MK Itamar Ben Gvir as Minister of National Security, despite the opinion of the Attorney General.
Israel National News
The government approved on Tuesday evening the appointment of MK Itamar Ben Gvir to the position of Minister of National Security.
The vote took place despite the opposition of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. A vote in the Knesset plenum to confirm the appointment is expected on Wednesday.
During the evening, Baharav-Miara informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that, from a legal standpoint, Ben Gvir cannot be appointed to the position, arguing that his political involvement in the police does not align with the authority of the responsible minister.
Despite the legal opinion, Netanyahu announced that he intends to bring a vote on Ben Gvir’s reappointment to the government meeting.
In a conversation between the two, Netanyahu emphasized to the Attorney General that only he decides who will be appointed as a minister, and no one else, noting that the law allows the appointment of any candidate who does not have a pending criminal indictment.
At the same time, the Supreme Court rejected on Tuesday evening a request by left-wing organizations to issue an interim injunction against Ben Gvir’s appointment as Minister of National Security.
Justice Daphne Barak-Erez wrote, ‘Given that no response has yet been submitted regarding the substance of the claims raised in the petitions, I did not see fit to issue an interim order at this stage in a one-sided proceeding.’