Minister of National Security, MK Itamar Ben Gvir (Religious Zionism), spoke today (Monday) at the start of his faction’s meeting and sharply criticized the Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, following her position submitted to the Supreme Court on the continuation of his tenure in the National Security Ministry.
"Last Thursday, the Attorney General took another step in her attempt to turn Israel into a dictatorship of the judicial junta, when she informed the Supreme Court that the Prime Minister should explain 'why he has not dismissed me from the position of Minister of National Security,'" said Ben Gvir.
He added, "The Attorney General wants to create a precedent that has no equivalent in any democracy in the world, where the legal bureaucracy decides who will be appointed as a minister - not the Prime Minister."
Ben Gvir quoted Basic Law: The Government, which states, "A person who has been convicted of a crime and sentenced to actual imprisonment, and on the day of their appointment, seven years have not passed since the completion of their sentence, may not be appointed as a minister unless the Chairman of the Central Elections Committee rules that the crime does not, in the circumstances, carry disgrace."
The minister emphasized: "Here, not only is there no conviction, there isn’t even an investigation! Despite her criminal attempts to pressure the police to open an investigation against me - she failed. Despite working with the previous Shin Bet head, Ronen Bar, who instructed the Shin Bet to spy on me and the police - she failed."
The minister added, "And after these failures, she wants to create a dangerous precedent, which would allow her and the Supreme Court to dismiss ministers with the stroke of a pen, without any justification - and it’s clear that not only I am in their crosshairs, but also the Prime Minister and other ministers of the right-wing government."
In conclusion, Ben Gvir made it clear that, in his view, neither the Supreme Court nor the Attorney General has the authority to dismiss ministers: "Therefore, I say clearly here: The Attorney General and the Supreme Court have no authority to dismiss ministers. Period. I am glad that the Prime Minister made this clear yesterday to the Attorney General’s representative, Gil Limón. If such a ruling is made, it will be blatantly illegal, with a black flag raised over it. Only the people will elect their representatives."