"The essential need to separate the roles of the attorney-general stems from the institutional and inherent conflicts of interest between the roles and from the dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a person who is not an elected official and who is not accountable to the public."
The push to divide the attorney-general’s power follows a bitter ongoing dispute between the Netanyahu government and the current holder of the office - Gali Baharav-Miara.
Baharav-Miara was appointed by now Opposition Leader Yair Lapid during Prime Minister Netanyahu's brief period out of office in 2022.
She has opposed a number of key government policies, notably including Netanyahu's contentious judicial reforms and his attempt to sack former Shin Bet director Ronen Bar.
In turn, the coalition has accused her of undemocratically abusing her powers to block its platform.
Ministers have been trying to secure her dismissal for months, but the process is currently under judicial review.
The bill will now advance to the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, which is chaired by Rothman.
It has also been backed by Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, with the latter calling it "an essential and necessary reform".
However, the Attorney-General’s Office has condemned the legislation, saying it harbours "a heavy suspicion that it is designed to advance personal interests… which are tied to ongoing criminal proceedings and investigations".
