Khaberni - Today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government submitted a response to the Supreme Court opposing the petitions demanding the dismissal of the National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, asserting that the court is "required to respect the government's sovereignty and avoid seriously infringing the principle of separation of powers".
The Netanyahu government rejected what it described as “political interference in the legal composition of the government”. The government added that "these petitions should have been dismissed from the outset, as there was no legal basis to justify such an exceptional and extreme interference in a decision of the highest constitutional order".
This week, the Supreme Court is preparing to consider petitions that have been postponed since the outbreak of the war on Iran, having limited its sessions for about a month and a half to only urgent cases. These petitions include the dismissal of Ben-Gvir due to his influence on police operations.
Next Wednesday, the court will hold a session with an extended panel of nine judges to consider the petitions demanding the dismissal of Ben-Gvir, a session that was postponed last month at the request of Netanyahu, who deemed it inappropriate to discuss a "sensitive" issue during the war.
In the meantime, Ben-Gvir has continued his efforts to strengthen his influence within the police, including issuing direct directives and using promotion as leverage to pressure senior officers, as well as impacting operational areas that are among the prominent reasons for demanding his dismissal.
The petitions are based on accusations of Ben-Gvir's repeated interference in police operations and his directives to intensify the handling of anti-government protesters, under the guise of his authority in setting policies. The government’s legal adviser, Gali Baharav-Miara, had repeatedly warned against these practices, yet they continued during the war period.
In recent weeks, the police have intensified their actions against protests, arresting demonstrators on the pretext of violating Home Front Command instructions from the early days of the war. The police also forcefully dispersed a protest organized in Tel Aviv's Habima Square, arresting 17 protesters despite a court decision allowing an increased number of participants in the demonstration.
