Likud MK Defends Tally Gotliv’s Immunity and Pushes for a National Inquiry

Likud MK Ariel Kallner said on Sunday there is no reason to even begin proceedings to strip MK Tally Gotliv of her parliamentary immunity. In an interview with Sara Beck on Channel 14, he argued that the real issue is the conduct of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, whom he accused of applying selective enforcement for political reasons.

Kallner said Gotliv deserves “all the immunity in the world” against what he called a biased and vindictive law enforcement system. He claimed the attorney general grants immunity or brings charges based on political positions rather than legal violations, and said that over the past three years the rule-of-law system has become “a joke.”

He also tied the immunity debate to his push for legislation establishing a “national commission of inquiry” into the war. Kallner warned that a commission appointed by the High Court of Justice would amount to a cover-up, because its conclusions would be predetermined. He said the state commission promoted by others would focus on the political leadership and absolve the military and the justice system of responsibility.

By contrast, Kallner argued, his proposed national commission would ensure balance and allow the opposition to appoint representatives who could ask hard questions. He said the panel should examine relations between the military and political leadership, the conduct of the security establishment and its ties to the justice system, whether top security officials excluded the political echelon, and how security officials’ statements during the constitutional crisis affected decision-making.