New Israeli Government Set to Overhaul Ministry of Justice and Levin's Legacy
A new Israeli government is poised to reshape the Ministry of Justice, potentially dismantling the controversial judicial legacy of outgoing Minister Yariv Levin following years of intense institutional conflict.
The upcoming formation of a new government in Israel is expected to significantly alter the trajectory of the Ministry of Justice, potentially rolling aside the contentious legacy of outgoing Justice Minister Yariv Levin. Over the past four years, the ministry has been the epicenter of unprecedented friction between Levin and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. Levin's tenure was defined by aggressive judicial overhaul initiatives, refusal to appoint a Supreme Court president, and repeated attempts to dismiss Baharav-Miara—who also serves as the state prosecutor and oversees the trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The standoff escalated to extraordinary levels when locks to ministry offices were replaced to bar the attorney general's staff, while the High Court of Justice ultimately blocked her removal.
A new leadership team at the Ministry of Justice is projected to abandon these ideological battles and refocus on administrative operations and impending structural reforms. A primary issue on the agenda is the implementation of the controversial Department of Internal Police Investigations (MAHASH) law, which seeks to separate the investigative unit from the State Attorney's Office. Although the legislation was passed by the outgoing coalition, it remains pending judicial review by the High Court of Justice, and a new administration could potentially move to repeal it. Furthermore, the ministry currently operates with an acting head of MAHASH, necessitating a permanent appointment.
Additional challenges await the incoming minister, including deciding the fate of proposed legislation aimed at weakening the authority of government legal advisers. The next government will also oversee the eventual appointment of a new attorney general and state prosecutor as the current tenures conclude. Additionally, Ministry of Justice Director-General Itamar Donenfeld, a close political appointee of Levin, is widely expected to depart. Finally, the newly appointed justice minister will assume a pivotal role on the Judicial Selection Committee, which faces the immediate task of appointing four vacant seats to the Supreme Court alongside numerous other judicial appointments in the pipeline.
