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Israel’s high court concluded a chaotic hearing on Tuesday by temporarily blocking Benjamin Netanyahu’s attempt to dismiss the head of the Shin Bet security service, citing procedural flaws and potential conflicts of interest.
After forcibly removing protesters from the courtroom, the judges issued an injunction requiring Ronen Bar to remain in office.
The ruling gives the government and the attorney general – currently presiding over Netanyahu’s own corruption trial, and whom the prime minister is also seeking to remove from office – 12 days to find a compromise.
Netanyahu’s move to fire Bar was reportedly driven by “ongoing distrust”, but critics allege ulterior motives, including a) Bar’s refusal to provide security-related justifications for Netanyahu to avoid testifying in his trial and b) ongoing Shin Bet investigations into alleged ties between Netanyahu’s aides and Qatar.
Bar has warned that Netanyahu’s attempts to erode the independence of the Shin Bet could turn it into a secret police, while some ministers are calling on the prime minister to defy the court’s decision.
Fears of a constitutional crisis are growing.
