Israel’s Supreme Court Temporarily Halts Netanyahu’s Dismissal of Internal Security Chief Ronen Bar
On Friday, Israel’s Supreme Court issued a temporary halt to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s dismissal of Ronen Bar, the country’s internal security chief, until his appeal can be heard. This decision came after the Israeli government voted unanimously in favor of Netanyahu’s decision to fire Bar on Thursday.
The Israeli government stated, “The Government unanimously approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to end ISA Director Ronen Bar’s term of office.” This move has sparked widespread protests, with tens of thousands of people demonstrating against the government since Tuesday following the announcement of Bar’s dismissal.
Protests have been further fueled by the ongoing investigations of several of Netanyahu’s aides over alleged financial connections to Qatar. Shin Bet, Israel’s internal intelligence service, along with the Israeli police, is currently conducting these investigations.
Bar’s Absence and Official Response
Ronen Bar did not attend the meeting where the vote on his dismissal took place, choosing instead to send a letter. In this letter, leaked to the Israeli media, Bar called the process of firing him “inappropriate for any employee, let alone a high-ranking one, let alone the head of the Shin Bet.” He accused Netanyahu of aiming to “hide the real motives” behind his sacking, labeling them as “profoundly wrong.” Bar also disagreed with Netanyahu’s claim of losing trust in him, stating, “This is not about the lack of trust, but about the perception of personal loyalty over loyalty to the public.”
Netanyahu responded by blaming “the leftist Deep State” for trying to “thwart the people’s will” on his X account. Israeli police made several arrests after clashes with protesters on their way to the Israeli Prime Minister’s official residence.
Chaos and Concerns Over Hostage Deal
Yair Golan, the head of the Democratic opposition party, was arrested during the demonstration. He vowed on his X account, “A few pushes will not stop me. Now, we keep on fighting, we bring back the hostages and we stop the coup!” Protesters were also expressing their anger over the resumption of fighting in Gaza, breaking a two-month ceasefire, which threatens the prospects of hostages returning home.
Some hostages released during the two-month ceasefire criticized the government’s decision to end the ceasefire on social media, with some calling it a death sentence for the hostages still held by Hamas. The group is designated a terrorist organization by Israel, Germany, the United States, and several other countries, and is currently holding 59 hostages kidnapped after their attack on October 7, 2023, with about 20 still thought to be alive.
Recent opinion polls show that most Israelis want their government to continue negotiations over a hostage exchange deal that would end the war and fully withdraw Israeli soldiers from the Gaza Strip.
Edited by: Sean Sinico
