Netanyahu Rejects Supreme Court's Request to Dismiss Ben Gvir

SadaNews - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government submitted a response to the Israeli Supreme Court today, Sunday, opposing petitions demanding the dismissal of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, arguing that the court should "respect the sovereignty of the government and avoid severely undermining the principle of separation of powers."

Netanyahu's 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, due to the absence of any legal basis justifying an exceptional and extreme intervention in a primary constitutional decision."

The Supreme Court is set to review petitions this week that were postponed since the outbreak of the war with Iran, as its sessions have been limited to urgent cases only for about a month and a half. 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 expanded panel of nine judges to consider the petitions calling for Ben Gvir's dismissal, a session that was postponed last month at Netanyahu's request, 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 during this period, including issuing direct instructions and using promotion opportunities to pressure senior officers, as well as influencing operational areas that are among the main reasons for calls for his dismissal.

The petitions are based on accusations of Ben Gvir's repeated interference in police work and his issuance of instructions to toughen the approach towards anti-government demonstrators, under the guise of his powers to set policies. The government's legal advisor, Gali Baharav-Miara, has repeatedly warned against these practices, but they have continued during the war.

In recent weeks, the police have intensified their measures against protests, arresting demonstrators on the grounds of violating home front instructions since the early days of the war. The police also forcibly dispersed a protest organized in the "Habima" square in Tel Aviv, arresting 17 demonstrators, despite a court decision to increase the number of participants allowed in the demonstration.

Concurrently, Ben Gvir is seeking to establish a new police unit that focuses on "incitement," with the aim of proactively monitoring individuals to detect violations related to freedom of expression. This step has been warned by the legal advisor that it could be used to suppress criticism directed at the government and constitutes an unjustified infringement on fundamental rights, including monitoring social media users without sufficient legal basis. This initiative has been temporarily suspended by a court decision, but it is likely to return if Ben Gvir remains in his position.