MK Adi Azouz vows to scrutinize Attorney General split bill clause by clause

MK Adi Azouz (Likud) told the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee that splitting the Attorney General and State Prosecutor roles, as proposed, must be thoroughly examined. She said the public interest is being neglected and that the committee will go through the bill clause by clause.

MK Adi Azouz (Likud) told the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee on Sunday that the proposed bill to split the Attorney General and State Prosecutor roles must be thoroughly examined, saying "the public interest here is abandoned" and that the committee will go clause by clause. Her comments came as the committee began deliberations a day after committee chair MK Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism) announced he was splitting the bill, advancing only the advisory and representative functions while deferring the State Attorney role.

As The Zioneer reported on Saturday (Jul 4, 22:19 Jerusalem), Rothman split the bill, retaining clauses that would allow the government separate representation in the High Court, enable it to reject the Attorney General's legal opinions, and increase the Justice Minister's oversight. The move was attributed to limited time before the expected Knesset dissolution. The reports were initially based on journalist Dafna Liel's account and later confirmed by committee sources.

The debate over the AG's role has been ongoing. Last week (Jun 29), MK Yitzhak Pindrus (UTJ) called for splitting the office, arguing the current concentration of power is "insane" and used to imprison Haredim, as The Zioneer reported.

The committee is expected to vote on the first part of the bill as early as Monday. The status of the deferred State Attorney clauses remains unclear, and it is uncertain whether the full bill will see further progress before the Knesset's expected dissolution.

6 developments

1. 3 hours ago · 13:48 · 5 JulLatest

   MK Azouz vows to scrutinize the bill clause by clause.

2. 12:00 · 5 Jul

   Advisory and representative functions to advance; State Attorney role deferred.

3. 00:30 · 5 Jul

   Constitution Committee chair Rothman is officially splitting the Attorney General bill.

• Strong6 days ago · 19:57 · 29 JunMK Pindrus calls to split Attorney General role, claims power used to imprison Haredim
• Developing3 hours ago · 13:48 · 5 JulLegal adviser to Knesset committee explains Rothman's split of Attorney General reform bill
• Developing5 days ago · 09:20 · 30 JunTop Justice Ministry deputies to address Constitution Committee on AG split bill impact
• Strong09:38 · 10 JunKnesset Constitution Committee begins marathon debate on Attorney General split bill

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