Ben Gvir hits back at AG: ‘She doesn’t like that I am advancing my policies’

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir hits back at Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara during a police promotions ceremony, after the AG accused him yesterday of eroding law enforcement’s independence.

“There are certain officials I know, particularly one official who really doesn’t like that I take action and get things done. She doesn’t like that I am advancing my policies, for which I was elected,” the far-right minister says to a crowd of officers at the National Police Academy in Beit Shemesh.

“Unfortunately for this official, I received my mandate from the people of Israel. I received my power from the public that chose me to be Israel’s national security minister,” he continues.

Baharav-Miara penned a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday claiming that petitions calling for the far-right leader’s dismissal have a “factual and legal foundation” due to his repeated interference in police investigations and appointments.

She said it is impossible to safeguard the police’s independence in the face of Ben Gvir’s “repeated, illegitimate interventions, which harm the rule of law and human rights.”

Responding to the letter yesterday, Ben Gvir called the attorney general a “criminal,” accusing her of interfering with an investigation into the Sde Teiman video leak affair and of repeatedly impeding the government’s agenda.

Ben Gvir has enjoyed vast discretion in pushing the limits of the force, with critics claiming he uses his power over promotion as a carrot-and-stick approach to influence police decision-making.