AG Yet to Investigate Former Prosecutor Lador for Calling on Reservist Pilots to Ditch Service

Photo Credit: Tomer Neuberg/Flash90

Former State Attorney Moshe Lador, January 5, 2022.

Attorney General Gali Baharav Meara has yet to order an investigation into former State Attorney Moshe Lador, a day after his remarks in which he called on reservist pilots to refuse to serve in the IDF to protest government legislation. Meara has kept mum despite wall-to-wall condemnations of Lador’s remarks.

Former State Attorney Moshe Lador on Saturday used a live interview show in Beer Sheva to call on IAF pilots who have completed their enlisted service and are reservist volunteers to tell the state: “You strive and are going to fulfill your desires with force and bullying and become dictators of this country, I will not enter the cockpit and fly the plane.”

פרקליט המדינה לשעבר משה לדור היום בשבתרבות באר שבע לשאלתי האם תומך בהפסקת התנדבות למילואים שוב אם החקיקה המשפטית תעלה הילוך: ״טייסים שהשתחררו והשירות שלהם מותנה בהתנדבות, לא רק רשאים, בתפישתי הם כמעט חייבים להגיד- אם למדינה כזאת אתם חותרים והולכים להגשים בכוחנות ובביריונות את… pic.twitter.com/lB75mo7JnP

— Lior Kenan – ליאור קינן (@LiorKenan) December 14, 2024

Moshe Lador, 80, served as state attorney between 2007 and 2013. Since 2016, he has been a vociferous supporter of the trial against PM Benjamin Netanyahu. He criticized the panel of three judges who advised the prosecution to drop the bribery from their indictments because the judges saw no merit for such a claim.

Lador was later interviewed on News12 Meet the Press, and did not retract his words, proclaiming: “Yariv Levin declared ‘Since we’ve been elected, from now on we will do what we want without restrictions – if we do not like a law, we will change it.'” The former State Attorney continued to say that “there are cases where after democratic elections the government has become a dictatorship.”

Newly appointed Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara celebrating in Jerusalem, February 8, 2022. / Yonatan Sindel/Flash90

Many government ministers and MKs asked the Attorney General to launch an investigation into Lador’s serious remarks which were made during a time of war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed sharp criticism of the remarks, saying they “crossed a red line that endangers democracy and undermines our future.” He called on the Attorney General to take immediate action against this dangerous phenomenon.

Justice Minister Yariv Levin also joined the demand for an investigation of Lador, clarifying in an official letter he sent to the Attorney General that calling for non-compliance by key elite reservists, especially in the midst of war, constitutes a serious violation of the law. Levin added that “without immediate and determined action, there is concern that the phenomena of non-compliance and incitement to non-compliance will spread.”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Energy Minister Eli Cohen, Interior Minister Moshe Arbel, MK Almog Cohen, and even former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant severely condemned the former state attorney and called for an immediate investigation of his statements.

But so far, despite widespread condemnation from ministers and MKs, and the demands for an investigation, AG Gali Baharav Meara has not taken action on the matter.