Day 656 - MKs, activists form action plan to undo 2005 Gaza pullout

Jul 23, 2025

Legal and settlements reporter Jeremy Sharon and Knesset reporter Ariela Karmel discuss the heated political climate in Israel. They delve into the government's attempt to dismiss Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and explore a controversial Knesset conference advocating for the annexation of Gaza. The duo highlights the complexities surrounding the Tomb of the Patriarchs, noting the contentious control shift and its historical context. The discussion also touches on the international implications of investigations involving Canadian Israeli soldiers amid rising tensions.

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INSIGHT

Attorney General Firing Crisis

Firing Israel's Attorney General poses a constitutional crisis.
Ministers may ignore High Court rulings, increasing government tensions.

INSIGHT

Push to Annexe Gaza Strip

Right-wing Israeli politicians push to undo 2005 Gaza disengagement via annexation.
Proposed Gaza annexation links settlement, housing, and security visions.

INSIGHT

Declining Support for Palestinian State

Israeli politics increasingly oppose a Palestinian state.
Opposition parties' votes against Palestinian state highlight political sensitivity.

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Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

Legal and settlements reporter Jeremy Sharon and Knesset reporter Ariela Karmel join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

We begin the program with an update on the ongoing saga of the attempts to fire Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. On Sunday morning, the five-member ministerial committee recently set up to dismiss the attorney general voted unanimously to recommend that the government to dismiss her. We hear what are the potential next steps toward firing her -- and probable backlash.

Yesterday at the Knesset conference called “The Gaza Riviera – from vision to reality,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich endorsed a “security annexation” of the northern Gaza Strip and claimed that Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir favors the idea. Dozens of right-wing politicians and activists claim they are set to "right a historic wrong" that occurred 20 years ago with the 2005 Disengagement. Karmel sets the scene.

Israeli authorities have said they are taking control of the management of the Tomb of the Patriarchs holy site in Hebron, in order to carry out construction work at the flashpoint West Bank shrine. Sharon explains how there is precedent for this temporary control and delves into why the move is so controversial this time.

And finally, in June, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced that it had opened an investigation into “matters related to the Israel-Hamas armed conflict,” with the possibility of uncovering “a perpetrator of core international crimes — such as genocide, war crimes, or crimes against humanity.” This announcement sparked concern among dual Israel-Canadian citizen soldiers. Karmel wrote an in-depth piece on the topic and shares the soldiers' fears.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

Ministerial panel votes unanimously to recommend firing the attorney general

Smotrich: Gaza will be ‘inseparable part of Israel,’ IDF chief favors ‘security annexation’

Israel to take administrative control over Tomb of Patriarchs for construction work

‘I’m afraid to go home’: Canadian IDF soldiers fear fallout from war crimes probe

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.

IMAGE: An Israeli settler youth, wearing an anti-disengagement T-shirt that reads: 'A Jew doesn't expel a Jew,' September 27, 2005. (DAVID FURST / AFP)

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