Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told his faction Monday that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara is the sole factor leading to a constitutional crisis, and that the Finance Ministry's legal opinion against the Torah Study Basic Law was written 'behind his back' and contains 'nonsense.' The remarks escalate a weeks-long political battle over the proposed legislation and the government's relationship with the legal establishment.
On Monday, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich escalated his public confrontation with the legal establishment, adding a new claim that the Finance Ministry's legal opinion opposing the Basic Law: Torah Study was signed by ministry legal adviser Asi Messing "behind his back" and contains "nonsense." The remarks, made at his Religious Zionism faction meeting, follow a series of accusations Smotrich leveled on Sunday against Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, whom he accused of driving a constitutional crisis.
The Zioneer reported on Sunday July 5 that Smotrich, at the Israel Hayom conference, first called for officers David Zini and Roman Gofman to sue the attorney general for defamation, then called for a criminal investigation into her, and later directly accused her of being the sole factor driving a constitutional crisis — all published at 16:51 Jerusalem. The accusations escalated within the same day, with no new corroboration beyond Smotrich's own statements.
The broader political battle over the Torah Study Basic Law has been tracked by The Zioneer since June 8, when Smotrich initially opposed the legislation. On June 10, he was revealed as an original signatory to the bill. Deputy Attorney General Avital Sompolinsky voiced the government's legal opposition on June 29. On July 1, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz voted for the bill. On July 5, a senior Haredi official told N12 that Smotrich was using Finance Ministry cost estimates to "torpedo" the bill through the clerks, a claim that directly contradicts Smotrich's assertion that the opinion was written without his knowledge.
Smotrich's claim that the Finance Ministry opinion was written behind his back remains unverified and is contradicted by the Haredi official's account. No on-record confirmation or denial from the Finance Ministry legal adviser has been published.
4 developments
- DevelopingHaredi official accuses Smotrich of using Finance Ministry opinions to block Torah study law
- StrongSmotrich opposes ultra-Orthodox Torah-study Basic Law bill
- DevelopingSmotrich revealed as original sponsor of Basic Law: Torah Study
- DevelopingSmotrich attacks High Court freeze on comptroller appointment vote
Source and signal
- Internal intake