Israel’s Supreme Court Considers Netanyahu’s Attempt to Fire Spy Chief

Israel’s highest court began hearing a case on Tuesday over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to replace one of his top intelligence chiefs — a courtroom battle that could open the door to a constitutional crisis.

The attempt to fire Ronen Bar, the chief of the Shin Bet, has further polarized an already divided Israel. Supporters of the government view Mr. Bar as disloyal to Mr. Netanyahu, and critics consider his removal a dangerous precedent that undermines the independence of democratic institutions.

The hearing, which was being broadcast live in Israel, opened with unruly scenes, as hecklers forced a Supreme Court panel to pause the proceedings and resume them without a public audience. The hearing was likely to last much of the day, and a ruling was not expected on Tuesday.

Here’s what to know about the court case dominating the headlines in Israel today.

What’s the case?

Last month, Mr. Netanyahu fired Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet security service, saying he no longer trusted him. Critics say Mr. Netanyahu fired Mr. Bar in an attempt to seize greater power by purging a dissenting voice from Israel’s security establishment.

As head of the Shin Bet, Mr. Bar helped spearhead Israel’s war in Gaza and oversee the decades-long occupation of the West Bank. He was also one of a handful of senior officials who led the cease-fire negotiations with Hamas to release the dozens of hostages seized during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war.

The decision to fire Mr. Bar came after the Shin Bet began investigating Mr. Netanyahu’s aides for potential corruption over their ties with the Gulf state of Qatar. Mr. Netanyahu has accused Israeli investigators of taking his advisers as “hostages.”

Israeli legal experts said that the Supreme Court could strike down Mr. Bar’s removal. That would leave Mr. Netanyahu’s government with the choice oi either swallowing a bitter defeat or rejecting the top court’s ruling, setting up a potential constitutional crisis.

What’s the bigger picture?

Mr. Netanyahu’s critics view the firing of the independent-minded Mr. Bar as part of a broader process of edging Israel toward autocracy. They say by removing Mr. Bar, Mr. Netanyahu is seeking greater control over the powerful domestic intelligence agency.

Israel maintains a decades-long military occupation in the West Bank, where millions of Palestinians have few civil rights under a two-tier legal system. But inside Israel’s internationally recognized borders, the country remains a democracy with a robust judiciary and a freewheeling press.

Since his return to power in 2022, Mr. Netanyahu has advanced a number of reforms intended to weaken checks on executive power. His government proposed a controversial judicial overhaul that would have removed much of the Supreme Court’s ability to restrain government power.

Mr. Netanyahu argued that his proposals would strengthen democracy, which he described as the will of the majority who had elected the current coalition. But they prompted mass protests by opponents who worried it would make the country less free.

How could the court rule?

The Supreme Court issued an order freezing Mr. Bar’s dismissal almost immediately, but said Mr. Netanyahu could continue interviewing potential replacements as it prepared to hear the case.

Mr. Netanyahu argues that the letter of the law empowers him to fire the head of the Shin Bet. But legal experts say there are a number of potential problems with the decision that might lead the justices to order that Mr. Bar stay in his job.

The Shin Bet is investigating Mr. Netanyahu’s office, meaning the justices could nullify Mr. Netanyahu’s decision if they find it was motivated by a conflict of interest. They might also decide that his proposed rationale — mistrust — does not constitute grounds for firing a civil servant.

How could this lead to a constitutional crisis?

Mr. Netanyahu has frequently clashed with the Supreme Court and insisted that it has no right to intervene in major decisions. He has yet to say whether he would respect the Supreme Court’s ruling if the justices decide to strike down Mr. Bar’s dismissal.

Rejecting the legitimacy of a Supreme Court decision would be a tectonic move, potentially paralyzing a major security agency at a time of war and throwing the balance of power in Israel further into doubt.

At least some of Mr. Netanyahu’s allies have suggested that the court has no business ruling on Mr. Bar’s firing. Shlomo Karhi, the hard-right communications minister, wrote on social media that Mr. Bar’s dismissal would go ahead no matter what.

“You have no legal authority to interfere in this,” he wrote. “That is the government’s authority and its alone. Your order is void.”