Khaberni - A session is scheduled to be held next Wednesday at the Supreme Court in Israel, a session with an expanded panel to consider petitions that demand Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to dismiss the Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir.
According to "Maariv" newspaper, nine judges from the Supreme Court decided before the tense session, fearing riots and disturbances during the session, to close it to the general public.
In their decision, the panel of judges led by Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit wrote: "According to the criteria set in the Supreme Court last January, we believe there is a justified fear that the session scheduled in these proceedings on April 15, 2026, may be accompanied by disturbances and riots or rushes to an extent expected to actually hinder its proper administration. In these circumstances, and considering our decision that provided that the session will be photographed and broadcast live — providing an appropriate response to the principle of public sessions in its broad sense — we found it appropriate to issue an order restricting actual attendance in the courtroom and limiting it to lawyers, media representatives, and permit holders."
It should be noted that in the past two years, sessions addressing important issues witnessed public breaches and serious disruptions, where judges were insulted and riots broke out outside the courtroom, and in several cases, lawyers had to leave the court under the protection of court guards to prevent assaults on them. In some cases, judges had to remove the public and close the sessions.
The judges also decided that in cases where there is a real concern of disturbances or rushes that could actually impede the holding of the session, it will be considered to close it, as long as there is a possibility to broadcast it live, which provides a response to the principle of public sessions.
The judges today detailed in their decision the arrangement of speakers in the session: "Representatives of the Prime Minister and the Minister of National Security will speak for up to 60 minutes each - totaling 120 minutes. Representatives of the government's legal adviser will speak for up to 40 minutes, while representatives of the petitioners will speak for up to 20 minutes each - totaling 80 minutes. After that, there will be an additional round."
In response, Minister Ben-Gvir said: "They are scared."
It is worth mentioning that the Legal Adviser in Israel had published months ago a dramatic response to the petitions concerning the termination of Ben Gvir's duties, where she wrote: "It requires the issuance of a precautionary order obliging the Prime Minister to explain why he has not dismissed the Minister of National Security Ben Gvir from his position. The minister misuses his position (to influence police activities) and harms the basic democratic principles, and the risks inherent in this situation are increasing over time, and are likely to lead to irreparable damage."
