Israeli Officials Attack Attorney General for Demanding Legal Review of Trump’s Gaza Plan
Occupied Palestine (Quds News Network)- Israeli officials have reportedly attacked Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara for allegedly calling for a legal review of US President Donald Trump’s plan to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from Gaza.
During a heated cabinet meeting on Monday, the attorney general insisted that ministers consult her on the legality of Trump’s proposal to forcefully expel Palestinians from Gaza to third countries.
Her demand, however, was met with sharp criticism from senior Israeli officials.
Likud Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi called the scheme a “deportation plan” and said that removing Palestinians from Gaza would rely on force rather than so-called “voluntary migration”.
“Did you get that? The “advisor” now wants to obstruct the deportation plan for the residents of Gaza. The political leadership was elected to lead, not to take orders from bureaucrats. I urge my friend, the Minister of Justice, to soon implement her deportation plan so that the people of Israel can finally find peace,” he said on X on Tuesday.
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar dismissed her request outright. “Trump didn’t consult attorneys general when drafting his plan,” he said.
Saar added, “The honorable attorney general is not the political echelon, we are. We decide what to do, and you tell us how to do it.”
Former National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir mocked Baharav-Miara’s authority. “The only consultation the government should have with her is whether she prefers to receive her dismissal letter by hand or email,” he said.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Sunday that Trump’s plan could begin within weeks, confirming that discussions with US teams have begun to implement the mass displacement plan.
“Preparations have started amongst our teams, alongside teams of the US President Donald Trump,” Smotrich told reporters, according to Israel Channel 12.
Recently, Trump announced a proposal to “take over” Gaza and forcibly expel its more than 2 million Palestinians.
Trump has also called on Jordan, Egypt, and other Arab countries to take in Palestinians – a proposal that has been met with widespread criticism and rejection from Arab countries and other allies while being condemned as an ethnic-cleansing plan.
In an interview with Fox News’s Bret Baier, Trump also said he would “own” Gaza and said it would be a “real estate development for the future”. Asked whether Palestinians would have the right to return, Trump said: “No, they wouldn’t.”
“In the meantime, I would own this,” Trump – a former real estate developer – added, saying: “Think of it as a real estate development for the future. It would be a beautiful piece of land. No big money spent.”
On February 4, Trump said during a joint press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it too.”
“As far as Gaza is concerned, we’ll do what is necessary. If it’s necessary, we’ll do that. We’re going to take over that piece that we’re going to develop it,” he said.
“I do see a long-term ownership position, and I see it bringing great stability to that part of the Middle East, and maybe the entire Middle East,” Trump told reporters in the East Room of the White House. He said later: “This was not a decision made lightly. Everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land, developing and creating thousands of jobs with something that will be magnificent.”
According to a poll aired on Israeli Channel 12 News on Monday evening, at least 68 percent of the Israeli public supports Trump’s plan.
