• Israeli government votes to dismiss Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.
• High Court issues an injunction to halt the dismissal, citing legal review.
• The move is viewed as politically motivated amid Netanyahu's corruption trial.
• Opposition parties and watchdog groups challenge the legality of the dismissal.
• Baharav-Miara's removal criticized as a threat to judicial independence.

The Israeli government unanimously voted on Monday, August 4, to dismiss Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, a significant figure in the ongoing corruption trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who announced the decision, stated in a letter to Baharav-Miara that she “should not try to impose herself on a government that has no trust in her and cannot work with her effectively,” according to aa.

However, the High Court of Israel promptly intervened, issuing an injunction to suspend the dismissal pending further legal review. This decision emerged immediately after the cabinet's vote, marking a significant clash between the judicial and executive branches. Opposition party Yesh Atid and various activist groups quickly filed petitions, asserting that the dismissal was a politically driven attempt to undermine the attorney general's independence, as detailed by aljazeera and indiatimes.

Baharav-Miara, a vocal critic of Netanyahu, has been embroiled in disputes with the government since it took office. She notably contested Netanyahu's authority to dismiss Ronen Bar, head of the Shin Bet security agency, amid investigations into illicit payments from Qatar to Netanyahu’s aides, a controversy dubbed "Qatargate." Critics argue that Baharav-Miara's removal marks an unprecedented assault on judicial independence, with watchdog groups describing the action as illegal and a shift towards making the attorney general role a political appointment, according to lemonde and indiatimes.