Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli said "until today, many Israeli citizens lived under the illusion that they live in a democracy."
Why did so much of the country focus its attention on this hearing while there is an ongoing war in Gaza and while Netanyahu was on a high-stakes visit with US President Donald Trump?
A survey shows most Israelis support the High Court's ruling on Ronen Bar's dismissal. The Left and Center back the decision, while the Right opposes it.
Raucous court causes delays in consequential hearing • Ministers threaten to disregard ruling, paving way for constitutional crisis
The affidavit, unprecedented in its severity, revealed two times Netanyahu attempted to exploit Shin Bet powers for political and personal purposes.
The issues center on the prime minister's conflict of interest, due process, and differing views on democracy and power distribution.
If the court rules in favor of the petitioners and says the government cannot fire Bar, but the government insists it can and moves ahead anyway—that’s a constitutional crisis.
"The responsibility for Israel's security lies with the government, and therefore, the authority [to fire Bar] rests with it," Smotrich said.
The prime minister maintained that his decision to remove Bar was not related to "Qatargate" and did not align with his timeline.
According to Bar, pressure was also exerted on him to carry out actions he defines as "against the citizens of the state."
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