Drama in Israeli court as hearings begin on Netanyahu bid to sack spy chief

Netanyahu's move to sack Shin Bet head Ronen Bar last month was blocked by the Supreme Court after it agreed to consider petitions against the decision, which has highlighted political divisions that have deepened since the start of the Gaza war.

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 a number of anti-Bar protesters, including a lawmaker from Netanyahu's Likud party, 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.

The timing of the move fuelled mass demonstrations, with critics saying the real reason for Bar's dismissal was a recently announced police and Shin Bet investigation into possible ties between Netanyahu aides and Qatar.

Watchdogs and opposition lawmakers petitioned the Supreme Court against the dismissal, arguing it was rushed, tainted by conflict of interest and unlawful.

Since returning to office at the head of one of the most right-wing governments in Israel's history, Netanyahu has been at odds with much of the defence establishment and justice system, first over his 2023 plans to curb the powers of the Supreme Court, and later over the conduct of the Gaza war.

Like the military, Shin Bet has investigated its October 7 failures. Bar accepted responsibility and said he would step down before the end of his term.

Netanyahu has resisted calls to establish an independent state inquiry into the security failures that led to Israel's single deadliest day. Rejecting any personal blame, he has engaged in bitter exchanges with Bar, whom he accuses of launching the Qatar probe to avoid being sacked.

QATARGATE

In a letter to the government and a document submitted to the Supreme Court, Bar has said his dismissal sent a message to law enforcers that they are expected to show personal loyalty to the prime minister, rather than the state.

Netanyahu's lawyer argued that there was no conflict of interest in Bar's dismissal, approved by the entire cabinet, because the prime minister was not a suspect in the Qatar probe.

Isaac Amit, the president of the Supreme Court, said the hearing would not concern itself with the enduring pain of the October 7 attack or wider strategic questions thrown up by the case.

"We are here to discuss a far narrower question. Was procedure properly followed?" he said.

It was unclear when a ruling would be issued.

That question includes whether an advisory committee for civil service appointments should have been consulted and whether Bar should have been presented with evidence on the grounds for his dismissal.

Netanyahu, who is fighting a separate trial on corruption charges which he denies, has dismissed the so-called "Qatargate" affair as a political witch-hunt. 

His aides deny receiving payments in an alleged influence-peddling campaign. Qatari officials have described the affair as a baseless "smear campaign".

Netanyahu has been summoned to give testimony but is not directly implicated in Qatargate, which poses no immediate risk to his hold on power.

But the case has added fuel to anti-government protests, attracting thousands of Israelis who accuse the prime minister of undermining key state institutions and endangering the foundations of Israeli democracy.