Itamar Ben-Gvir and Gali Baharav-Miara
Itamar Ben-Gvir and Gali Baharav-MiaraShir Torem/Flash90. Yonatan Sindel/Flash90

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir strongly criticized Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara for her opposition to the establishment of a National Guard under his authority.

"Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara is again trying to stop progress and is now trying to prevent the establishment of the National Guard of the State of Israel," said Ben-Gvir.

"Almost two years have passed since the events of Operation Guardian of the Walls in which we saw how the police were unable to respond quickly and smoothly [to Israeli Arab riots in mixed cities]. During those days we saw why there was a clear need for a National Guard to deal with exactly the same problems. There is no one to handle security in the Israeli Arab sector which is plagued by murders. Our wonderful policemen are doing as much as they can to provide security and responses to the citizens, but they are overloaded with work and unable to get to everything. Every policeman who goes on duty has dozens of tasks, it's crazy. That's why we need the National Guard," he stated.

"Baharav-Miara does not understand her place as attorney general. The National Guard must be established in order to restore security to the streets," added Ben-Gvir.

The Attorney General has stated that in her opinion there is a legal impediment to establishing a National Guard. "The police need and can deal with the security problems without the need for an additional body," she claimed.

Earlier today (Sunday), Ben-Gvir claimed that several senior police officials opposed the establishment of a National Guard for personal reasons.

"There are senior officials in the police who do not want a National Guard, because of ego wars," Ben-Gvir claimed. The minister gave the police three months to present serious plans, but, he said, "in practice there is no progress."

His office added that "the minister and the commissioner announced at a joint press conference the establishment of a National Guard under the police, but since then the bureaucracy in the police is preventing all progress of the move to establish the National Guard that the minister is trying to promote, and therefore minister Ben-Gvir decided that he would not let internal wars within the police delay the establishment of the National Guard."