Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sudden attempt Remove the head of Israeli domestic news agency is the latest Salvo in two -year campaign by the Israeli government to apply more control over different sectors of the state.
Mr. Netanyahu’s plan to organize the Cabinet vote on the future Ronen Bar, the head of the agency known as Shin Bet, was declared less than a month after his government announced a similar intention to reject Gali Baharav-Miar, an Israeli prosecutor. It also came in the middle of the renewed pressure in Parliament by the right -wing coalition of Mr. Netanyahu to provide politicians with greater control of the selection of judges of the Supreme Court.
These steps are a return to Mr Netanyahu’s unsuccessful efforts in 2023 to reduce the strength of state guard dogs that acted as a control of his government, including the Supreme Court and the General Prosecutor.
This program – often described as a court -general overhaul – has shown deeply dividingExpand the months of mass protests and the expansion of cracks in Israeli society. The campaign was suspended only after the attack led by Hamas on Israel in October 2023 revived the feeling of national unity. Now, in the middle of a shaken ceasefire in Gaza, the release of the tension seems to have ended.
“The removal of the head Shin Bet should not be seen in isolation,” said Amichai Cohen, Professor of Pravo and colleague of the Israeli Democratic Institute, a research group based on Jerusalem. “It is part of the general trend of taking these independent agencies and increasing the power of the executive.”
“Judicial overwork is back,” added Professor Cohen.
The immediate context of the Mr. Bar firing attempt was a personal dispute between the chief of security and the prime minister. For several months, Mr. Bar was angry with Mr. Netanyahu Investigation of officials in the Office of Prime Minister Above the claims that they escaped secret documents. Mr. Netanyahu denied the offense.
The last straw for Mr. Netanyah, said analysts were most likely a rare public intervention last week by the predecessor of Mr. Bar Nadav Argaman. In a television interview, Mr. Argaman said he could reveal other charges of offense of the Prime Minister if they believe that Mr. Netanyahu is going to break the law.
Such comments from the close ally Mr. Bar were “too many” for Mr. Netanyah, said Sktuh Shtrauchler, a former prime minister’s advisor. “He saw it as a direct threat,” said Mr. Shtrauchler. “He had no choice in his eyes.”
Wider context, but analysts said it is a much wider dispute between the right -wing alliance of Mr. Netanyahu and its opponents regarding Nature and the future of the Israeli state.
Mr. Netanyahu’s control coalition is made up of parties that represent the ultra -rel Jews in various ways trying to preserve their privileges; and activists of settlers who focus on deepening the control of Israel above the West Bank and to limit Palestinian rights.
For years have these groups have he hated the independence of the guard dogs Like the judiciary, the General Prosecutor and the Security Services that have moved differently to limit some privileges for ultra-cortexodox; Block certain movements by moving the settler; and prosecute Mr. Netanyah for corruption. There is a court of accusation that it denies.
The government and its supporters argue that reining in the judiciary and other guards, such as Shin Bet, in fact increases democracy by the fact that the legislators bring soldiers to choose voters.
SHIN SHIN “She put her noses on the affairs, control, values, social cohesion and, of course, democracy,” wrote Eithan Orkibi on Monday in the column for Israel Hayom, right -wing daily newspapers. After Mr. Bar’s release, Mr. Orkibi continued, Shin’s bet “will be” slowly returned to his natural professional territory “.
The opposition, however, says that such movements would harm democracy by removing key control of government overlap, allowing Mr. Netanyah’s coalition – the most conservative and nationalist in Israel’s history – to create a less pluralistic and more authoritarian society.
“With the submissive coalition of YES MEN, Netanyahu is on the way to the dismantling of all Israeli guards,” wrote Barak Seri in a column for Maariv, a day of the middle right. “Disassembling everything that protects Israel, as we knew since its foundation.”
Myra noveck The report contributed.
