Israel’s Supreme Court Pauses Netanyahu’s Attempt to Fire Spy Chief
Posted on: Apr 09, 2025 00:03 IST | Posted by: Nytimes
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The hearing opened with unruly scenes as hecklers forced the justices to halt the proceedings and then to resume them without a public audience. The government was handed a deadline to find a compromise.
Aaron Boxerman and Isabel Kershner
Reporting from Jerusalem
Israel’s highest court on Tuesday gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government a deadline to find a compromise over his firing of one of his top intelligence chiefs, part of a courtroom battle that could lead to a constitutional crisis.
The attempt to fire Ronen Bar, the Shin Bet chief, has further polarized an already divided Israel. Supporters of the government view Mr. Bar as disloyal to Mr. Netanyahu, but critics consider his removal a dangerous precedent that undermines the independence of democratic institutions.
The hearing, which was broadcast live in Israel, opened with unruly scenes as hecklers, including a lawmaker from Mr. Netanyahu’s conservative Likud party, forced the judges to pause the proceedings and then resume them without a public audience. The lawmaker, Tally Gotliv, had to be forcibly removed from the courtroom.
The hearing lasted almost 11 hours and ended with the issuing of an interim order against Mr. Bar’s dismissal. The judges gave the attorney general and the government until April 20 to come up with a “creative solution.”
The court stipulated that Mr. Bar was to remain in his job for now.
Last month, Mr. Netanyahu fired Mr. Bar, saying that he no longer trusted him. Critics say Mr. Netanyahu fired Mr. Bar to try to seize greater power by purging a dissenting voice from Israel’s security establishment.
As head of the Shin Bet, Mr. Bar helped to spearhead Israel’s war in Gaza and to oversee the occupation of the West Bank. He was also one of a handful of senior officials who led cease-fire negotiations with Hamas to release dozens of hostages taken during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that ignited the war.
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