Ronen Bar/Amos Ben Gershom / Government Press Office of Israel, CC BY-SA 3.0
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Israel’s Supreme Court issued a temporary injunction Friday halting the dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, just hours after the cabinet voted to remove him by April 10. Responding to the order, Prime Minister Netanyahu wrote on X: “There will be no civil war! Israel is a state of law, and the government decides who leads the Shin Bet.”
Israel’s High Court of Justice froze the government’s move to fire Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar on Friday, issuing an injunction that will remain in effect until petitions against his dismissal are heard by April 8.
The High Court’s injunction has sparked a standoff, with over 40 Israeli mayors signing a letter urging Prime Minister Netanyahu to adhere to the ruling and “immediately announce” government compliance.
Despite this, signals from Netanyahu’s cabinet suggest they might defy the court. This clash pits the government, whose ministers vow to resist, against the judiciary branch of government, with major unions and business leaders threatening a nationwide strike if the order is disregarded.
Israel Civil War on the Horizon?
Israel’s Former Supreme Court chief justice Aharon Barak warned in a Channel 12 interview Thursday that Israel is “very close to civil war,” sparking widespread reaction Friday. Asked if the country was “an instant away” from such a conflict, Barak replied, “The rift in the nation is enormous; no effort is being made to heal it, and everyone is trying to exacerbate it.”
He continued, “Today, there are protests, so a car drives through them and runs over someone, and tomorrow there will be gunshots, and the day after, blood will be spilled.”
Barak added, “There are several red lines that we have already crossed, lines I never imagined we would reach. A red line that said, ‘We will not establish a state commission of inquiry.’ A red line that said, ‘The legal advisor says, so what?’ The deep state is the bureaucracy that tells the elected officials what to do. We have reached a point where today, whatever the court says, if it aligns with our views, we will implement it.”
Responding to former Chief Justice Aharon Barak, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on X, “The State of Israel is a state of law, and the Israeli government legally decides the head of the Shin Bet.” He added, “There will be no civil war!”
Critics argue the government that failed to prevent Hamas’s October 7 attack shouldn’t be the one replacing Bar. Netanyahu’s move comes as the Shin Bet probes his aides over Qatargate, raising concerns he’ll appoint a loyalist while Netanyahu ramping up claims of a “leftist deep state” against his government.
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