Around midnight on Thursday, the Israeli government approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approval of the expulsion of the head of Israel’s domestic intelligence reporting agency.
The Cabinet has unanimously decided that Thinbet’s chief Ronenber would be removed from his post on April 10, or earlier if another director is appointed, according to a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office shortly after midnight.
However, in a tough challenge to Netanyahu, Barr refused to attend an overnight meeting on his firing. Instead, he sent a stab letter addressed to the government, stating that the process was illegal and that the prime minister’s motives were “fundamentally flawed.”
Any attempt to fire Mr. Burr could be contested in the country’s Supreme Court.
The clash comes a few days after Netanyahu announced his intention to fire Barr.
Also, after Israeli forces resumed their deadly campaign in Gaza, many Israelis have been concerned about the fate of hostages still held in enclaves. The siren warning from an incoming rocket fire from Gaza sent Israelis to the Tel Aviv region on Thursday for the first time in months.
Singh Bett is deeply involved in Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, providing intelligence and targeting. The law also places the institutions on protecting Israel’s democracy.
In his letter, Mr. Burr rejected the idea that a lack of personal trust between himself and Mr. Netanyahu had affected the work of the agency, and said that the Prime Minister had not justified his firing or offered a specific example of allowing him to contest it at a proper hearing.
Mr. Burr also suggested that the rushing attempt to expel him was intended to undermine “a serious incident that Sin Bett is currently investigating.” For months, Barr had angered Netanyahu by investigating officials at the Prime Minister’s Office, alleging the allegations of leaked documents for those connected to Qatar. Netanyahu denied any fraud.
The discrepancy between Netanyahu and Barr lies at the heart of the broad battle over the nature of Israel’s democracy and the rule of law and the future. Critics of Netanyahu’s ruling coalition, the most right-wing and religiously conservative in Israeli history, have accused them of working to reduce the powers of independent state watchdogs and to unbalanced the checks and balances of government authority.
The plan to fire Mr. Burr on the grounds of personal trust also raised general concerns that future appointments could be based primarily on loyalty to the Prime Minister.
Thousands of people protested in anticipation of the move on Wednesday, and more protests came on Thursday. By lunch, long lines marched in stormy weather from the campus of Hebrew University in Jerusalem towards one of Mr. Netanyahu’s private homes, beating on drums and chanting “Democracy!” After trying to break through the barricade, he brawls with the police officer.
Several prominent opposition joined the protesters. Video footage from the scene showed police officers actively pushing protesters, including Yair Golan, the former vice chief of the military and now the leader of the Central Left Democratic Party, who has reached the ground. Police used water cannons and dispersed them by spraying protesters with foul smelling liquids.
The new protest recalls weekly demonstrations of 2023 attempts to overhaul the judiciary to reduce power as a government check. These protests suddenly stopped on October 7, 2023, in a Hamas-led attack on Israel, led by Hamas, which sparked the war.
Netanyahu and his allies have made accusations of overreaching the judiciary and other independent branches, saying they are blocking the freedom to make government decisions and represent voters’ wills.
Netanyahu is under police investigation and has been tried on charges of corruption, but he denies it. He repeatedly denounced the liberal “deep nation” of witch hunting against him and his family.
Singh Bett claims officials from the prime minister’s office that they leaked secret documents to the media and that they worked for people connected to Qatar, an Arab province near Hamas. A survey called “Qatargate” by local news media continues its secret under a drastic order of gags.
Netanyahu denied the fraud and his office dismissed the episode as “fake news.” The Qatar government did not respond to requests for comment.
Burr, who has been leading Sinbet since 2021, said the expectations of “personal trust” are against the public interest.
Mr. Burr and Singh Bett are responsible for their role at Intelligence Television, which led to the Hamas-led attack.
But in a summary of the agency’s internal investigation into the conduct issued earlier this month, Sinbet pointed to long-standing government policies towards Hamas and Gaza as a major contributor, possibly angering Netanyahu.
Netanyahu appeared as brave as Gaza with the solid support of the US administration, and served a common cause with President Trump late Wednesday.
“In America and Israel, when strong right-wing leaders win elections, deep left-wing states use the judicial system as weapons to stop the will of the people,” he wrote. “They won’t win either place! We stand strong together.”
Billionaire Elon Musk, a close ally of Trump, answered with a red “100” emoji, suggesting he agreed to Netanyahu.
Many Israelis view the country’s democracy increasingly vulnerable. Israel does not have a formal written constitution, only one legislative room and its role is mostly ritualistic and symbolic.
Current President Isaac Herzog issued a video statement on Thursday, where he warned against unilateral actions that he said could harm Israel’s social cohesion and resilience.
Herzog did not specifically mention the government or Barr’s expulsion, but said, referring to a new call-up notification sent to thousands of reserves, “we cannot bring children to the forefront and at the same time make a controversial move that deeply polarizes the nation.”
By voting directly for the government on Thursday, Netanyahu also violated the legal opinion of Attorney General Galli Baharav Miara.
Baharav Miara, appointed by the previous government, often clashes with the current government. A prominent member of Netanyahu’s cabinet said that after Barr’s removal, the Attorney General will become the next general.
Reported by Johatan Reese in Tel Aviv, Myra Novek in Jerusalem and Rawan Sheikh Ahmad in Haifa, Israel.
