The News
The Israeli cabinet on Thursday approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request to fire the leader of the country’s domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet, as more than 100,000 people protested in Jerusalem.
The cabinet voted unanimously to replace Ronen Bar, who had repeatedly clashed with Netanyahu, citing a “misunderstanding of the subordination of the service and its head to the political echelon.”
Israel’s supreme court moved later in the day to freeze the decision, pending appeals.
It came as more than 100,000 protesters gathered in Jerusalem over the past two days to protest the dismissal as undemocratic, with one telling Reuters that he is “very, very worried that our country is becoming a dictatorship.”
Bar had previously led a corruption investigation into several aides in Netanyahu’s office who were offered bribes by senior Qatari figures. Netanyahu has dismissed the allegations as politically motivated.
Bar will step down on April 10, or earlier if a replacement is approved.