Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara responded to claims that she had personal relationships with current Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief, Ronen Bar, and his predecessor, Nadav Argaman, on Thursday by saying "There is no personal or other connection between us that places me in a conflict of interest."
"They are not visitors to my home," Baharav-Miara added.
This followed a petition claiming that Baharav-Miara maintained personal ties with the Shin Bet chiefs that would have placed her in a conflict of interest over the dispute between Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Bar, who Netanyahu is trying to fire from his position.
Justice Ministry legal advisor Yael Kutik cited Baharav-Miara's response in the state's response to the High Court of Justice.
Yaakov Ben-Shemesh, a senior legal figure, reacted to the A-G's response by stating that she is "not simply stating that there are no personal ties between her, Bar, or Argaman, but instead she implied that such ties may exist, but they are not of the type that places her in a conflict of interest."
"How do we know if this is true or not? Baharav-Miara simply expects us to believe her and for the matter to end there!" Ben-Shemesh added.
"Very strange. I think this in an inappropriately evasive response," he continued.
'The court should decide if there is a conflict of interest'
"She should either say that there are no ties between us, or she should specify what the existing ties are and allow the court to decide whether they do or do not raise concerns of a conflict of interest," he demanded.