Shin Bet chief says firing of flares at Netanyahu’s home ‘far from legitimate protest’
Court remands 3 detainees, reported to be prominent anti-government activists, for 5 days; minister urges sacking of AG, accusing her of inaction that may cause PM’s ‘murder’
The head of the Shin Bet security agency said Sunday that the firing of flares the previous evening in the vicinity of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence in Caesarea “marks a dangerous escalation,” as Hebrew media reported that the three people arrested over the incident are prominent members of the anti-government protest movement.
The incident drew condemnation from across the political spectrum, as well as fury at Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara by coalition members who called for her dismissal and accused her of being overly lenient toward action taken by anti-Netanyahu demonstrators.
The Israel Police’s Lahav 433 major crimes unit and the Shin Bet are investigating the incident, which came during weekly Saturday evening protests against the government and in favor of a deal to free the hostages being held in Gaza by the Hamas terror group.
On Sunday evening, the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court ordered the three suspects to be held in custody for five days. The police and Shin Bet had asked for them to be held for 12 days.
A gag order prohibits publishing any details of the investigation or the suspects’ identities for 30 days. However, reports said the three detainees were regulars at the anti-government rallies, and that one of the suspects serves as a senior officer in the military reserves.
Lawyer Gonen Ben Itzhak told the media the three have been prevented from meeting with an attorney since their arrest in the early hours of Sunday morning.
תיעוד: פצצות התאורה בחצר בית רה"מ בקיסריה | צפו
אורלי אלקלעי pic.twitter.com/pFdIQyHQNY— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) November 16, 2024
Video posted to social media by a reporter from the Kan public broadcaster apparently showed that the flares were fired into the air above the premier’s home, rather than toward it. One of the flares appeared to malfunction and fell to the ground near the premier’s home while still lit.
No damage was reported in the incident and a joint statement from the security bodies noted that Netanyahu and his family were not home at the time.
Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar said on Sunday that “firing flare guns at the Prime Minister’s residence is a very serious incident that is far from legitimate protest,” and called it a “dangerous escalation.”
Bar added that “the Shin Bet is obligated by law to protect the symbols of the government. Accordingly, we acted swiftly, in coordination with police, to locate and arrest the suspects involved in the incident, using all the tools at our disposal. We will not tolerate violent actions against government symbols. Each case will be treated with the utmost severity.”
In a strongly worded response, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi called for the attorney general to be fired, blaming her for incitement against the government.
Accusing the embattled attorney general of failing to tackle violence and incitement from anti-government protesters, Karhi alleged that Baharav-Miara is “sitting with her arms crossed, granting them legitimacy and refusing to stop this dangerous deterioration.”
In an incendiary post on X, he added that her alleged failure to act “is bringing us closer with great strides to a catastrophe – to the murder of the prime minister.”
“The attorney general must go home today. A person who gets up to kill you — including through weakness and agreement through silence — rise up and fire them,” declared Karhi, paraphrasing a line from the Talmud about self-defense.
In response, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid accused Karhi of “openly inciting murder against the attorney general,” and called for him to be fired.
Lapid and National Unity chairman Benny Gantz, also of the opposition, both issued statements condemning the firing of the flares and calling on law enforcement to “bring the guilty to justice.”
Gantz declared on Sunday morning that “this is not a protest – this is terrorism.”
“Although I deeply disagree with Netanyahu and often criticize him… Netanyahu is not a murderer and is not an enemy. One should demonstrate against him and the government only according to the law,” Gantz tweeted.
“This is the position of the absolute majority of those who oppose this government. And this is the only correct position. In view of the recent events, every public leader, including the leaders of protests against the government, must say this out loud today,” he added.
Responding to the news, Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar said that Saturday’s incident serves as proof that the government must complete its controversial judicial overhaul.
“The criminals who committed the heinous act and the tailwind they receive from the [justice] system remind us all of the duty to complete the legal reform in order to save Israeli democracy,” he said.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin denounced the incident as the latest “link in a chain of violent and anarchic actions, the purpose of which is to bring about the assassination of the prime minister and the overthrow of the elected government by means of a violent coup.”
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, meanwhile, declared that “the incitement against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has crossed all boundaries.”
“Today it’s a flare and tomorrow it’s live fire,” he said, calling for a halt to “the incitement against Netanyahu and his family.”
At a cabinet meeting in September, government ministers railed against the attorney general’s office for ostensibly not doing enough to crack down on incitement against the prime minister, pointing to a prominent government critic comparing Netanyahu to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler as well as protesters deriding Netanyahu as a “traitor,” “Satan” and an “enemy of the people.”
The Netanyahus’ private home in Caesarea was lightly damaged in a Hezbollah drone attack last month. Following that attack, the government reportedly demanded a NIS 2 million ($530,000) security upgrade at the estate.
