Minister David Amsalem warned Wednesday that if it is decided that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is "incapacitated" and cannot continue in his position, the decision may well lead Israel to a civil war.
Speaking to Galei Israel Radio, Amsalem explained, "In my opinion, this is already a regime coup par excellence, and will lead to a civil war."
When asked if he wants civilians to go out and fight with weapons, Amsalem stressed: "Not with weapons. That will cause a physical dispute between citizens - not with weapons."
But, he warned, "It could get to that, at a later stage."
"We can also do other things, like cause the judges not to enter their offices, bring people to block the entrance. And we can also go stage by stage," he told Galei Israel.
Israeli law allows an Attorney General to declare that the Prime Minister incapable of fulfilling his duties. This law has been applied only once, when then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a stroke and later fell into a coma. Once the state of "incapacitation" is declared, the prime minister has 100 days to return to functioning, or the government falls apart and new elections are called.
As there is talk of declaring Netanyahu "incapacitated" during his testimony in court, the elected government is concerned that the legal proceedings will be dragged out past the 100-day mark, in an effort by the Israeli Left to force new elections and remove Netanyahu from office in a way that bypasses the ballot box.
Earlier this week, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara instructed that the petition to declare Netanyahu "incapacitated" during the period of his testimony should be rejected, and said that she opposes such a declaration.