Far-right Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu said that firing Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara is the most important action the government can take, even as Iran is on the cusp of becoming a nuclear nation and with 100 hostages held in Gaza.
“That’s exactly what we’re saying, that there’s nothing more important than that,” Eliyahu told Army Radio on Wednesday when asked about the significance of potentially dismissing Baharav-Miara from her position.
When asked whether that was his position even with Iran signaling it may develop nuclear weapons, and with the hostages still in captivity, Eliyahu said: “I think you’re wrong in your analysis, because today I perceive the legal problem as a problem that harms Israel’s security.”
Eliyahu doubled down on his comments, despite public criticism.
“Those who care about the hostages must understand that, now more than ever, an unequivocal clarification is needed on the issue of the powers of the attorney general, military prosecutors and the state prosecutors,” he said.
“The path to the release of the hostages passes through a complete military victory, and to achieve this it is our duty to ensure a deep reform of the legal system, a reform that begins with the dismissal of the controversial attorney general,” he said.
It is believed that 96 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas during the October 7, 2023 onslaught remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.
While renewed efforts to reach a hostage deal have sparked optimism in recent weeks, the talks have seemingly stalled, with both Israel and Hamas accusing the other side of imposing new conditions and not cooperating.
Efforts to oust the attorney general have been made for months by some coalition lawmakers due to their frustration with her refusal to defend various controversial measures the government seeks to advance that Baharav-Miara has determined would be unlawful.
The disagreements — over issues ranging from the selection of the civil service commissioner to daycare subsidies for draft dodgers — have increased during ongoing investigations into alleged wrongdoing by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s aides.
On Wednesday, Regional Cooperation Minister David Amsalem of Likud said that Baharav-Miara and the High Court justices were responsible for creating the conditions that allowed for the October 7 attack.
“There is no doubt that they created the atmosphere Hamas wanted and planned” when it carried out its attack, Amsalem said, calling for her ouster.
In April, he reportedly said at a cabinet meeting that Baharav-Miara is the “enemy of the people.”
Coalition leaders have reportedly agreed in principle on how to move forward with a hearing for Baharav-Miara to discuss her potential ouster, but it is unclear whether the initiative has enough support, given the widespread protests it would likely trigger.
Eliyahu is no stranger to making controversial statements, including accusing Israel’s security chiefs of “rebelling” against the current coalition, calling anti-government protesters “evil” and dubbing Bank of Israel governor Amir Yaron a “savage.”
In November 2023, he sparked international outrage by claiming that dropping a nuclear bomb on the Gaza Strip was “an option,” a statement called “detached from reality” by Netanyahu.
This statement was later cited by South Africa in a motion accusing Israel of genocide before the International Court of Justice, prompting Eliyahu to later brag that “even in The Hague they know my position.”