Israeli officials react to suspension of Shin Bet chief’s dismissal
Israeli government officials have reacted to the Supreme Court’s decision to suspend a move by Netanyahu’s government to fire the domestic intelligence agency chief while appeals are filed.
Interior Minister Moshe Arbel said in a post on X: “The Israeli government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu will not violate court decisions.”
Other ministers issued statements that suggested they would oppose the temporary injunction.
“Supreme Court judges will not run the war or determine its leaders,” far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote on X.
Israel’s newly reappointed far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, wrote on X: “It’s time for judicial reform!”
This is what Netanyahu has been trying to do before the current war started, Sept 2023:
Israel judicial reform explained: What is the crisis about?
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-65086871
The crisis in Israel reaches a significant moment on Tuesday, with an attempt at the Supreme Court to overturn a controversial law passed by the government. It follows months of turmoil over the government's plans to change the way the judicial system works. Here is a brief guide to what is going on.
Since the start of the year, huge weekly protests have been held by people opposed to the government's reform plans. The scale of the protests has escalated, with tens of thousands of people packing the streets in towns and cities across the country.
Undeterred, the government (which has a comfortable majority in parliament) passed into law in July the first planned change - a so-called "reasonableness" bill. This removed the power of the Supreme Court (and lower courts) to cancel government decisions deemed "extremely unreasonable".
Protesters have called for all the planned reforms to be scrapped and for the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to resign. They are supported by Mr Netanyahu's political rivals, as well as former top officials in Israel's military, intelligence and security services, former chief justices, and prominent legal figures and business leaders amongst others.
Mr Netanyahu's opponents say the reforms will severely undermine the country's democracy by weakening the judicial system, the only tool for keeping the government's use of its powers in check.
Underlying this is strong opposition to the kind of government currently in office - the most right-wing in Israel's history - and to Mr Netanyahu himself.
Critics say the reforms will shield Mr Netanyahu, who is currently on trial for alleged corruption (he denies the charges), and help the government pass laws without any brakes.
The government argues that the judiciary interferes too much with legislation, is biased in support of liberal issues, and is undemocratic in the way judges are selected.
Besides the "reasonableness" law, the government wants to:
- Weaken the power of the Supreme Court to review or throw out laws, enabling a simple majority of one in the Knesset (parliament) to overrule such decisions, although Mr Netanyahu has said he will not proceed with this particular reform
- Have a decisive say over who becomes a judge, including in the Supreme Court, by increasing its representation on the committee which appoints them
- Scrap the requirement for ministers to obey the advice of their legal advisers - guided by the attorney general - which they currently have to do by law
The Attorney general Negtanyahu is currently trying to get rid of.
(Israel’s government will meet on Sunday for a no confidence vote on the attorney general, marking the start of a lengthy dismissal process)
Trump is trying to do the same in the USA, following Netanyahu's road to dictatorship.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2025/03/18/trump-deportation-venezuela-el-salvador-defy-judge/82498769007/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/19/trump-deportation-court-ruling
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/trump-administrations-standoff-with-federal-court-over-deportation-order-continues
The Trump administration’s standoff with the judiciary continues as some of the president's top allies and advisers are ramping up their criticism of federal judges. The Justice Department again refused to provide a federal judge detailed information about deportation flights carrying hundreds of Venezuelan migrants.
