The Supreme Court has blocked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government’s attempt to dismiss Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar.

Israel’s Supreme Court on Friday ordered 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.

Several groups, including opposition politicians, had petitioned the court against the dismissal.

The court’s decision came after the Israeli government on Thursday voted “unanimously” in favor of Netanyahu’s decision to fire Bar.

“The Government unanimously approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to end ISA Director Ronen Bar’s term of office,” the statement said.

Tens of thousands of people have demonstrated against the government since Tuesday following the intention to fire Bar. Shin Bet, Israel’s internal intelligence service, along with Israeli police, is meanwhile currently investigating several of Netanyahu’s aides over alleged financial connections to Qatar while also working for the Israeli leader.

Bar did not attend meeting where he was fired

Bar did not attend the meeting in which the vote on his dismissal took place, choosing to send a letter instead.

In the letter, which was 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.”

Regarding Netanyahu’s reasoning for the move, Bar wrote it seemed the Israeli leader’s argumentation for the move was aimed at “hiding the real motives” behind his sacking, motives which he labels as “profoundly wrong” later in the letter.

In the letter, Bar addressed Netanyahu’s claim that he had lost trust in the Shin Bet leader.

“This is not about the lack of trust, but about the perception of personal loyalty over loyalty to the public,” Bar wrote.

How did Netanyahu react?

Netanyahu took to his X account to blame what he called “the leftist Deep State” for trying to “thwart the people’s will.”

Israeli police made several arrests after several hundreds of protesters had clashed with officers on their way to the Israeli Prime Minister’s official residence.

Israeli media reports suggested some of the protesters tried to break through police barricades in front of Netanyahu’s home. Several demonstrators were injured, with police using water cannons.

Support of hostage deal

Yair Golan, the head of the Democratic opposition party, was pushed to the ground by police officers while taking part in the demonstration.

“A few pushes will not stop me,” he posted on his X account. “Now, we keep on fighting, we bring back the hostages and we stop the coup!”

Protesters were also voicing their dismay over the resumption of fighting in Gaza, breaking a two-month ceasefire, mostly due to the decision’s implications on the prospect of more hostages returning home from captivity in Gaza.

Many of the hostages released over the two-month ceasefire took to social media to criticize the government’s decision to end the ceasefire. Some even called it a death sentence for the hostages still held by the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas.

The group, designated a terrorist organization by Israel, Germany, the United States and several other countries, still holds 59 hostages it kidnapped after its terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, with some 20 of them thought to still be alive.

According to recent opinion polls, most Israelis would like their government to continue negotiations over a hostage exchange deal which would end the war and result in a complete withdrawal of Israeli soldiers from the Gaza Strip.

Edited by: Sean Sinico

DW News