Israeli attorney general freezes decision by national security head to sack Tel Aviv police chief

The Israeli Attorney General’s office ordered the suspension Friday of a decision by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to remove Amichai Eshed, Tel Aviv’s region police chief. Public broadcaster KAN said Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara questioned the legality of the decision it said was “politically motivated.” KAN said Baharav-Miara sent a letter to Ben-Gvir stressing that her decision is effective until completing an inquiry on the case. Ben-Gvir cited that the removal of Eshed is because he failed to deal with protests in Tel Aviv on Thursday. He said Eshed would be moved to head the police training department and then accused the attorney general of having a political agenda and working against the government of Benjamin Netanyahu. Thousands of Israelis blocked main roads leading to the Tel Aviv airport Thursday in an attempt to hinder Netanyahu from flying to Rome. Thousands have taken to the streets in the past two months to protest Netanyahu’s plans for a judicial overhaul, seen by the opposition as an attempt to reduce the powers of the judicial authority in favor of executive authority. Proposed by Justice Minister Yariv Levin, the reform, if enacted, would be the most radical change ever in the system of government in Israel. The change would severely limit the power of the Supreme Court of Justice, give the government the power to choose judges, and end the appointment of legal advisers to ministries by the attorney general. Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption, insists that his judicial plan would enhance democracy.
Source: Anadolu Agency – English