Professor Moshe Cohen-Eliya Criticizes Israeli Government Legal Adviser Over Arab Sector Violence

Professor Moshe Cohen-Eliya sharply criticized the Israeli Government Legal Adviser, Gali Baharav-Miara, for her role amid ongoing violence in the Arab sector. Writing in Maariv, Cohen-Eliya argued that Baharav-Miara bears "blood on her hands," clarifying that he referred to public and institutional responsibility rather than criminal liability. He emphasized that those in power who prevent elected officials from exercising authority and deciding on state tools cannot remain absent when failures result in deaths.

Cohen-Eliya stated, "Independence without responsibility is not the rule of law but the rule of bureaucrats, and such rule already has blood on its hands." He further warned that if the Israeli Supreme Court and judicial system insist on protecting their independence from elected officials, they must also accept responsibility for the consequences of exercising that power.

The debate reflects growing tensions over the government's handling of violence in the Arab sector and the role of legal authorities in enabling or restraining state action. Some voices, including those cited by the news outlet Srugim, have called for the administrative suspension of the Government Legal Adviser due to perceived failures in managing the crisis.