Story perspectives

Knesset Passes Bill Stripping Attorney General’s Power, 61-51

7/15/2026

Left

Knesset Passes Bill

The law formally reclassifies the attorney general’s legal opinions as non-binding recommendations the government can reject.
Israel’s Knesset passed the significant controversial bill 61-to-51, despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s absence.
Civil-rights groups filed petitions claiming the measure threatens expression, protest, equality, privacy and due process.
Legal officials warned that rejection of attorney general’s opinions could hinder criminal proceedings against ministers.

Right

UTJ blocks reform

United Torah Judaism said it will block the Attorney General reform unless the government funds haredi kindergarten teachers.
The Attorney General reform is condemned by opposition lawmakers and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara as undermining Israel’s rule of law.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich rejected haredi kindergarten funding request and refused to advance the reform.
After being accused of protecting Gali Baharav-Miara, Degel HaTorah chairman Moshe Gafni backed the reform.

History

Historical Context

The 1971 Attorney-General Law, championed by Justice Minister Haim Yosef, made the AG’s advice binding—ministers obeyed it in 98 % of cases during the 1980s. After the 1992 Basic Laws introduced judicial review and Aharon Barak’s “constitutional revolution,” the Knesset’s 61-51 vote in 2024 to make AG opinions non-binding revives a clash between executive authority and Israel’s safeguards, opposed by Prime Minister Netanyahu and Finance Minister Smotrich.

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Knesset Passes Bill

The law formally reclassifies the attorney general’s legal opinions as non-binding recommendations the government can reject.
Israel’s Knesset passed the significant controversial bill 61-to-51, despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s absence.
Civil-rights groups filed petitions claiming the measure threatens expression, protest, equality, privacy and due process.
Legal officials warned that rejection of attorney general’s opinions could hinder criminal proceedings against ministers.

1 / 3