Ruckus in Israeli court as hearings begin on Netanyahu bid to sack spy chief
Fjajpress – Reuters
Item 1 of 4 Supporters of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and of the dismissal of Ronen Bar, protest outside the high court during a hearing on the government’s dismissal of the head of the Shin Bet domestic intelligence service, Ronen Bar, at the high court in Jerusalem April 8, 2025. The words in Hebrew read “I am with you” and “Judges do not appoint head of Shin Bet” REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
[1/4]Supporters of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and of the dismissal of Ronen Bar, protest outside the high court during a hearing on the government’s dismissal of the head of the Shin Bet… Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab Read more
Israel’s Supreme Court began a hearing on Tuesday into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bid to sack the head of the domestic intelligence service amid raucous scenes from shouting protesters that forced the judges to clear the court.
Netanyahu’s move to sack Shin Bet head Ronen Bar was blocked by the Supreme Court after it agreed to consider petitions against the decision, which fuelled anti-government protests and highlighted political divisions that have deepened since the start of the Gaza war.
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And I think everybody agrees that doing a deal would be preferable to doing the obvious.
On Tuesday, as the hearing began, one protestor, whose son was killed in Gaza in December 2023, was dragged out of the hearing as he shouted at the judges, accusing Bar of being responsible for his son’s death.
The judges later called a recess and cleared the audience from the court completely, but many remained outside shouting “For shame!”.
Netanyahu said last month that he had lost confidence in Bar over the agency’s failure to prevent the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.
