Cabinet members increase calls for dismissal of AG: ‘Send her home’

By Sam Sokol 29 December 2024, 1:44 pm

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Sam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"

Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara attends the funeral of former Judge Elisheva Barak-Ussoskin at the Kiryat Shaul Cemetery in Tel Aviv, December 11, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara’s absence from this morning’s government meeting sparks further calls for her dismissal by members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet.

According to leaked quotes published in various Hebrew media outlets, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir slams Baharav-Miara for not appearing before the cabinet and accuses her of engaging in “selective enforcement.”

He says that comments by opposition lawmaker Democrats chief Yair Golan is “seditious and threatening,” those by MK Naama Lazimi are “incendiary,” and that there are “threats against the prime minister and the ministers [and she] doesn’t want to investigate.”

“I don’t understand why the issue of impeachment isn’t raised,” Transportation Minister Miri Regev declares, urging Justice Minister Yariv Levin to bring up the issue immediately.

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi agrees, calling for the cabinet to “send her home.” He claims that “there is an absolute majority here for impeachment.”

After Education Minister Yoav Kisch notes that Ben Gvir has conditioned his voting for the budget on Baharav-Miara’s ouster, the far right minister accuses his colleagues of making excuses on the issue of the attorney general’s ouster for a year.

Ben Gvir has voted twice against bills relating to the 2025 state budget in an effort to force the prime minister’s hand on the issue.

Coalition leaders last week reportedly agreed in principle on how to move forward on firing Baharav-Miara, beginning with a preliminary hearing at a cabinet meeting during which she would be asked to defend her record.

According to the Kan public broadcaster, coalition leaders are weighing waiting for a period of months before pulling the trigger on her termination in order to avoid accusations of politicizing the process.

While the prime minister was not quoted in any of the leaked discussions from the cabinet discussion, a spokesperson for Netanyahu told The Times of Israel that he was present during the meeting.