Justice Minister Yariv Levin launched a fierce attack on the judiciary and police Tuesday, after the High Court of Justice once again blocked his attempt to appoint a retired judge to oversee the high-profile investigation into former military advocate general Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi.
Levin’s renewed effort to appoint retired Judge Asher Kula to the role was rejected by the High Court, which ruled that “difficulties in identifying a suitable candidate who meets the legal criteria and is willing to take the role do not justify appointing someone who does not meet those requirements.”
Levin responded with a scathing statement, accusing the court of deliberately obstructing his efforts and shielding law enforcement from accountability. “From the day this affair broke, it was clear the police had no intention of conducting a real investigation,” he said. “Basic investigative steps were ignored, key witnesses weren’t questioned and the police invented a new policy of avoiding arrests, which itself obstructed the probe.”
Levin claimed that once he learned Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and members of the State Attorney’s Office were allegedly interfering with the investigation, he acted to remove them from involvement. “I appointed Judge Kula, whose competence and independence are undisputed,” he said. “Since that appointment, and later with my attempt to name retired Judge Josefh Ben-Hamo, the High Court justices have done everything possible to block a monitor and allow the police to continue their misconduct.”
The criminal investigation into Tomer-Yerushalmi centers on allegations that she leaked a video showing the alleged abuse of a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman facility, as well as charges of breach of trust and obstruction. Police have concluded their inquiry without finding any evidence linking Attorney General Baharav-Miara to the case. She has stated that she will not make the final decision in the matter, and the Justice Ministry has said the case is now being handled by the head of the State Prosecutor’s cyber division.
Levin’s public escalation comes after his previous move — requesting that Kula be granted a leave from his current post as state ombudsman for judges — effectively left him with no viable path forward. Legal experts say Levin is now at a near-dead end unless he proposes a new candidate acceptable under the court’s criteria, which he himself has called unreasonably strict.
“They’ve created rules that make it almost impossible to appoint an impartial monitor,” Levin said, blasting the judges for what he described as a politicized agenda. “This is a system that has lost all shame, reeking of corruption and favoritism, clinging desperately to power at the cost of the public’s trust.”
In a final warning, Levin added: “Those responsible for the failures and the cover-up won’t be able to hide forever behind their robes. When the truth comes out, they won’t be able to claim they didn’t know, or that they weren’t protecting their friends at the expense of IDF soldiers and their right to justice.”