Knesset Descends into Screaming Match After Missing Phone Triggers Political Meltdown

Israel’s political arena plunged into chaos on Monday as the mysterious disappearance of outgoing Chief Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi’s cellphone dominated Knesset faction meetings. Far-right ministers accused Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara of orchestrating a high-level cover-up, while opposition leaders condemned the rhetoric as a “blood libel” smear campaign.

The scandal erupted less than 24 hours after Tomer-Yerushalmi was found alive but disoriented on a Tel Aviv beach, her car submerged in shallow water and her phone nowhere to be found.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir of Otzma Yehudit opened his faction meeting with a blistering attack. “A trembling woman sits in the Justice Ministry right now,” he declared. “She knows full well that the [missing] phone holds evidence against her. If that phone is recovered, it will expose Gali Baharav-Miara.”

Ben-Gvir claimed the AG had pressured police to protect Tomer-Yerushalmi, who was briefly detained for questioning, to shield the so-called “deep state.” He alleged the device was deliberately vanished to destroy incriminating material.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich of Religious Zionism escalated the accusations, suggesting a darker motive. “Did the Patcher stage a suicide attempt just to lose the phone and destroy evidence?” he asked. “How could someone with such criminal patterns head military justice until days ago? What did the AG know?”

Smotrich framed the incident as the collapse of a decades-long myth about “elevated gatekeepers” attempting to seize control of the state. Opposition Leader Yair Lapid of Yesh Atid fired back, condemning the coalition’s language. “Half the ministers weaponized ‘blood libel’—a blatantly antisemitic trope,” he said. “When she was found alive, they wavered between disappointment she didn’t die and glee at resuming their incitement festival.”

Lapid defended uniformed personnel and moral standards, warning that the government’s “poison machine” has become an existential threat to Israel.

Blue and White Chair Benny Gantz took a more measured tone. “I have full trust in the AG and her team,” he stated. “Precisely because of this, she must recuse herself from overseeing the Sde Teiman investigation and transfer it to a completely uninvolved prosecutor. in an orderly, professional manner.”

Gantz condemned attempts to exploit the incident to undermine the judiciary and IDF command, insisting that “sunlight is the best disinfectant” and that the case must be investigated to the end so that the system can be fixed.

The timeline of events began Sunday night when Tomer-Yerushalmi’s car was found submerged at a Tel Aviv beach with her phone missing. By Monday morning, she was located alive, soaked, and disoriented, no suicide note, no signs of foul play. She was briefly detained for questioning, but the AG’s office intervened. By afternoon, Knesset faction meetings had erupted in accusations.

The scandal unfolds against a backdrop of ongoing judicial reform wars, IDF probes into October 7 failures under the Sde Teiman investigation, and coalition efforts to replace Baharav-Miara. Coalition sources claim the missing phone contained sensitive communications linking the AG to overreach in military investigations.

The opposition calls it a politically motivated witch hunt. Police confirm the phone remains missing, and forensic teams are searching the beach and vehicle. No suicide attempt has been confirmed, and a mental health evaluation has been ordered. Ben-Gvir and Smotrich are demanding the immediate dismissal of Baharav-Miara. Gantz and Lapid are calling for an independent probe with zero political interference.

Netanyahu’s office has declined to comment, while the Justice Ministry says the AG is cooperating fully.