Israel court blocks Netanyahu’s decision to fire intel chief Ronen Bar

Israel’s Supreme Court issued a temporary injunction on Friday temporarily freezing the dismissal of the head of the domestic intelligence service, according to a ruling published on the court’s website.

The ruling will allow the court to consider petitions launched against the dismissal, which was approved by cabinet late on Thursday, with a decision no later than April 8, the statement said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamim Netanyahu announced last week that he had lost confidence in Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and intended to dismiss him, prompting tens of thousands to join demonstrations in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv this week protesting the sacking, which critics saw as an attempt to undermine key state institutions.

In a letter to the government published on Thursday, Bar said the dismissal, which followed weeks of tension over an investigation into bribery allegations involving Qatar and aides in Netanyahu’s office, was based on baseless allegations and motivated by other, illegitimate concerns.

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The protests, which build on earlier waves of anti-government demonstrations. have blended with actions by supporters of the Israeli hostages still held in Gaza who have been shocked by the decision to resume bombing the Palestinian enclave after weeks of truce and to send troops back in there.

Netanyahu, with a secure majority in parliament and bolstered by the return of hardline National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, has been able to brush off the protests, but they underline divisions in Israeli society that have deepened since his return to power at the end of 2022.

The dismissal of Bar followed more than two years of hostility between Netanyahu supporters and elements of the security and defence establishment that was worsened by blame over the failures that allowed Hamas’ Oct 7, 2023 attack, the worst security disaster in Israel’s history.

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Even before the war in Gaza there had been mass protests over Netanyahu’s plans to curb the power of the judiciary, a move he justified as a necessary check on judicial overreach but which protestors viewed as a direct threat to democracy.