Battle for the Prosecutor's Office: New Legal Initiative by Minister Levin

Justice Minister Yariv Levin and his ministry's director general, Itamar Donenfeld, initiated a pilot project to change the procedure for appointing prosecutors, including qualification exams. The prosecutors' union filed a lawsuit, claiming that the freeze on rotations is illegal. The court must decide the fate of the reform.

In July 2025, Justice Minister Yariv Levin and his ministry's director general, Itamar Donenfeld, quietly formed a group to review the procedure for appointing prosecutors to senior positions. The pilot project, details of which Ynet publishes for the first time, would require candidates to pass a qualification exam and a check at the employment center. According to Levin, this would hinder "the intervention of extraneous considerations," though he does not specify which ones. Donenfeld froze all rotations in the prosecutor's office, including the crucial vacancy for the head of the High Court department. The prosecutors' union filed a lawsuit, arguing that appointments cannot be suspended. In court, union chair Orit Korin stated that the director general has been delaying competitions for a year and a half. Attorney Efrat Deutsch, representing the state, responded that Korin wants the findings to match her opinion. Judge Elad Shaviv asked whether it is not logical to have selection procedures. In May, Donenfeld mentioned "gaps requiring clarification," which turned out to be a desire to expand the pilot project, met with resistance from State Attorney Amit Isman. The prosecutors' association claimed that Donenfeld is delaying competitions to pressure Isman. The parties submitted final conclusions to the court, and a decision is expected in the coming days.