National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on Saturday assailed Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, accusing her of not authorizing security forces to seal the home of the Palestinian terrorist who killed seven Israelis in Jerusalem the night before.
The claim was swiftly denied by Baharav-Miara, who was due to address the issue when the security cabinet convenes later in the evening to discuss the deadly attack in Jerusalem, as well as a second terror shooting in the capital on Saturday that left two seriously wounded.
Sealing the homes of attackers is often a replacement for demolishing them. In general, the process takes several months. The home needs to be mapped out, the High Court must deny appeals by the family, and security forces often wait for an optimal time to enter Palestinian cities for the operation.
“It is possible to seal the home right away,” Ben Gvir told reporters outside a hospital in Jerusalem after visiting victims of the attack.
He said he sat with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu throughout the night going over legal precedents that would allow Israel to seal the home immediately.
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“The prime minister approved, and we made a decision to immediately seal the home. The chief of staff and police commissioner were also in favor,” Ben Gvir said.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir speaks to reporters at Shaare Zedek hospital in Jerusalem on January 28, 2023. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)
The far-right minister asserted that at 8 a.m., a formal request was given to Baharav-Miara to approve forces sealing the East Jerusalem home, but that she has yet to respond.
“It’s not a demolition, it’s just sealing. I was shocked to find that until now, she isn’t allowing [us] to seal the home,” Ben Gvir said.
“In my opinion, it is terrible, it can’t be, this harms Israeli civilians,” he added.
Responding to Ben Gvir, Baharav-Miara disputed his version of events, saying she had received a legal opinion on the matter just an hour ago and that it was now being assessed.
“As clarified to Minister Ben Gvir… operational decisions by the political leadership must be supported with a factual basis, which it must present,” a statement from her office said.
“The attorney general will do everything possible to provide legal tools that will allow the political leadership to achieve its policy,” the statement added.
Ben Gvir has previously clashed publicly with Baharav-Miara, who has frequently found herself at odds with Netanyahu’s new government since it was sworn in last month, namely over its far-reaching plans to upend the judicial system and the appointment of Shas chief Aryeh Deri as a minister, which was later annulled by the High Court of Justice due to his multiple past criminal convictions.
Despite being disqualified as a minister, Netanyahu invited Deri to take part in the upcoming security cabinet meeting as an observer. Hebrew media reports indicated that Deri would attend.
During the meeting, ministers were expected to discuss a number of steps following the recent attacks, including permitting the immediate sealing of the homes of terror suspects as well as the arrest of their family members and associates.
Reports said ministers will also discuss the promotion of a law to allow the deportation of the families of terrorists; expediting the issuing of firearms licenses for civilians and providing further funding for the purchase of guns; and sending additional military reinforcements to the West Bank and the issuing of work permits for Palestinians.
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces announced it would deploy three additional battalions to the West Bank.
The military said the decision was made following an assessment top officers held.
Earlier Saturday, police raised the national alert to its highest level.
Friday’s deadly attack came after days of violence in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Tensions have increased dramatically since Thursday morning, when an IDF raid in the West Bank city of Jenin against a terrorist cell left nine Palestinians dead — most of them gunmen and members of the cell, though at least one civilian was also killed.
With seven killed, the shooting in Jerusalem was the deadliest terror attack since 2011, when terrorists crossed into Israel from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, killing eight Israelis. It was the deadliest Palestinian terror attack since 2008, when a gunman from East Jerusalem killed eight Israeli students at the Mercaz Harav yeshiva in the capital.