Coalition MKs back protesters causing chaos at High Court hearing on Bar firing

Coalition lawmakers on Tuesday voiced their support for protesters who loudly disrupted a High Court hearing on the termination of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, while opposition MKs condemned the interruptions, which forced a lengthy delay in the proceedings.

Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who has spearheaded the government’s efforts to overhaul the judiciary, said, “The cries heard today in the Supreme Court hall echo the cries of millions whose rights are being trampled on and whose democratic choice they made at the ballot box is being taken from them by a handful of arrogant and detached judges.”

“For decades, this has been done quietly, with the appearance of respectability, and when the voices of criticism have been immediately silenced,” he continued. “Over the past two years, since I laid the judicial reform on the table, the truth has come to light. The people, who are asking for true freedom on the eve of Passover, can no longer be silenced.”

Tuesday morning’s hearing was repeatedly interrupted by protesters, including Likud MK Tally Gotliv, who argued that she could not be removed because she has parliamentary immunity. She was ejected from the courtroom when she immediately interrupted the proceedings upon their resumption following an hour-long recess called due to the protests.

Culture Minister Miki Zohar also blamed the judges for the disruptions, stating that while “the scenes from the Supreme Court this morning are difficult, they are the result of judicial activism that has been increasing for many years.”

“It is clear that a large part of our people is no longer willing to accept conduct that is contrary to all democratic values,” he said.

איזו התנהלות בושה וחרפה של חברת הכנסת @TallyGotliv באולם. לא מפסיקה להפריע באולם.
הנשיא עמית: "מעבר לכך, אין להקל ראש במה שקרה. זה אירוע חמור. שלטון החוק והדמוקרטיה מחייבים שבית המשפט יוכל לקיים דיון כהלכתו ללא מורא".
עמית ממשיך: "זה שערוריייתי שהרשות המחוקקת לא מאפשרת לרשות… pic.twitter.com/MtKR6QcGi1

— aviad glickman (@aviadglickman) April 8, 2025

Education Minister Yoav Kisch, meanwhile, tweeted, “When the High Court takes upon itself powers of the Knesset and the government, powers that are not its own, it is natural that many citizens will feel that this is the place where they are supposed to cry out.”

Instead of dismissing the petitions against Bar’s firing, the justices are “continuing the discussion on a matter where the law is clear to everyone,” he added. “The head of the Shin Bet must end his duties on April 10.”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who had pushed for Bar’s firing, argued that it is “regrettable that the head of the Shin Bet is clinging to the horns of the altar, instead of taking the hint and going home.”

“He tries time and time again to stay in power in his position. It is not democratic, it is not professional – and it will not succeed,” he declared in a video message.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies of using families who lost loved ones on October 7 or in the ensuing war to push his political agenda and undermine judicial proceedings.

“The orchestrated riot at the Supreme Court and the shameful exploitation of the pain of bereaved families by Netanyahu and his people is a pathetic move by the criminal October 7 government that is trying to harm the rule of law and our joint life in Israel,” Lapid said.

His Yesh Atid party also announced that it has withdrawn its lawmakers’ candidacies for spots on the committees to appoint the attorney general and the state ombudsman for judges, stating that “it will not take part in the continued systematic destruction of the judicial system and the dismantling of the status of gatekeepers.”

“In light of today’s events, in which the government once again puts political considerations first, the party will not be part of the coalition’s improper and forceful moves, and will not cooperate with any attempt to intimidate and disparage Israeli democracy,” Yesh Atid said in a statement.

The judicial ombudsman oversees disciplinary procedures against judges. Last month — in a move that critics see as an attempt to assert further political control over the judiciary — the Knesset passed a law dramatically changing how the position is filled, creating a new seven-member committee tasked only with the appointment.

The Knesset House Committee and Knesset Constitution Committee are due to select the Knesset’s representatives for the ombudsman and attorney general selection committees Tuesday afternoon.

National Unity party chief Benny Gantz also decried the protest, saying the chaos presented a picture “of a state and a society being torn apart” and a “government that does everything to tear us apart.” In a post on Instagram, Gantz called the incident “heartbreaking.”

Yair Golan, the chairman of the opposition The Democrats party, tweeted that Netanyahu’s “poison machine entered the Supreme Court with the aim of terrorizing the judges — this is how the mafia operates.”

Labor MK Naama Lazimi wrote, “This is just a promo for sabotaging the election process and not accepting the election results.”

The March 21 decision to fire Bar, which came amid a Shin Bet investigation into the dealings of the prime minister’s close aides in the Qatargate scandal, prompted opposition parties and government watchdog groups to file petitions to the court.

They accused Netanyahu of trying to stymie the probe and of firing Bar for political reasons, and requested that the court reverse the decision since, they argue, it was made with a conflict of interest and out of ulterior motives.

Netanyahu and the government, in response, have argued that the issue of who heads the Shin Bet is a security matter that the court cannot get involved in; that the government no longer has faith in Bar to do his job; that forcing the government to work with Bar would harm national security; and that there is no conflict of interest since Netanyahu is not a suspect in the Qatargate affair.

Levin has said that if the court rules to reinstate Bar, the government should simply refuse to work with him in order to force him out.

But experts have suggested that the court may be wary of reversing the decision due to the discretion the government has over hiring and firing the head of the Shin Bet, and may instead try and find a solution where the government commits to appointing a successor based on purely professional considerations.

The court is not expected to rule on the petitions on Tuesday.

Jeremy Sharon contributed to this report.