Israeli Supreme Court freezes dismissal of Shin Bet chief

Israel's Supreme Court issued an injunction on Friday temporarily freezing the dismissal of the head of the domestic intelligence service as protestors returned to the streets for a fourth day.

Prime Minister Benjamin 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.

"I'm looking at the end of the way of Israel as we knew it in the past. We are very concerned that these are the last days of Israel as a democracy," said Uri Arnin, an entrepreneur who joined a protest outside Netanyahu's Jerusalem residence.

"We are here to try and change this course, but the chances are not very high," he said.

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.

As the battle over the Shin Bet chief widened, Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported that a motion of no confidence in Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara, a frequent target of the government's ire, had been put on the agenda for the regular weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday.

The Prime Minister's office declined to comment.

'BASELESS CLAIMS'

The Supreme Court 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, a statement published on the court's website said.

Bar had already indicated he would resign before the end of his term, accepting responsibility for Shin Bet's failure to forestall the Hamas-led attack.

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

On Friday, even before the Supreme Court injunction, he took part in a planning assessment with the head of the military as Israeli troops moved back into Gaza following the renewed Israeli bombardment of the enclave.

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.

In addition to the battles over judicial reform, Netanyahu has been obliged to give regular testimony in a case over corruption allegations, which he denies.

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.