Presidents of eight Israeli universities threaten to 'personally go on strike' if attorney general is fired

Eight presidents of major Israeli universities announced in a public letter on Sunday that they would go on strike and call on others to do the same if the government went through with Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s initiative to remove Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara from her position.

“We, presidents of the universities signed below, hereby warn against an unprecedented threat to the rule of law in Israel if the attorney-general is fired,” the letter began.

“In the democratic rule in Israel, the attorney general is the most important gatekeeper against possible government harm to civilian rights and individual rights of the country’s residents. She is the one who ensures proper government procedure. She is, alongside the courts, the buffer between a democratic regime with necessary checks and balances on the government and a tyrannical, dictatorial regime where the government can do as it pleases,” they continued.

The university presidents went on to defend the point that the attorney general is a “public servant and not a politician.”

The letter continued explaining that, “Her only ‘sin’ is that she fulfilled her position with great professionalism and great courage. Therefore, the calls by government ministers and members of Knesset to fire her are nothing but calls to be rid of the rule of law. Harm to the rule of law will lead to a critical blow to Israeli society, including the economy and security.” 

The presidents concluded by announcing that if the move went through, they would “personally” go on strike and called on others to announce the same.

The Jerusalem Post reported that the following eight university heads include: Ben-Gurion University president Prof. Daniel Haimovitz; Haifa University president Prof. Gur Alroey; Weizmann Institute president Prof. Alon Chen; Hebrew University president Prof. Asher Cohen; Technion president Prof. Uri Sivan; Tel Aviv University president Prof. Ariel Porat; Bar-Ilan University president Prof. Arie Zaban; and Open University president Prof. Leo Corry.

An 84-page document was distributed to all government ministers, in which Levin argued that Baharav-Miara has abused her authority to act as a "long arm of the opposition," obstructing the government's efforts to carry out its policies. He urged the ministers to back a decision endorsing a no-confidence motion against the attorney general.

Levin also sent requests to Knesset Speaker Amit Ohana and Government Secretary Yossi Fuchs, to begin the process of selecting representatives from their respective bodies for a committee tasked with reviewing the call to dismiss Baharav-Miara.

This process is not simple and could take several months, as the committee will need time to form, examine the request, and issue a recommendation, and will likely be followed by a petition to the Supreme Court.

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi criticized the letter from university leaders in a post on 𝕏. He labeled Israeli academia as a “sad joke” and accused the university presidents of becoming “political activists” simply because the government was “acting within its legal authority.”

"Anyone who turns educational institutions into a political tool in the hands of the extreme Left and uses their high position as a political tool should not be surprised if the public asks why they need to fund this circus. Want to be an arm of an anti-democratic camp? Do it at your own expense. Resign!" Karhi added.

Education Minister Yoav Kisch also responded to the letter on 𝕏: "You are confused. The threats of a strike aimed at influencing policy do not deter us. The end of democracy will not result from the dismissal of the attorney-general; rather, it will ultimately reflect the will of the people.”

"An attorney general who has opposed the government at every turn from day one is unworthy of holding her position, and as a result, the impeachment process has begun. It would have been better if she had resigned on her own initiative,” Kisch concluded.