Israel: Bar Association threatens strike if government defies Supreme Court freeze on Shin Bet director dismissal

In a major development, the Israel Bar Association has threatened to declare a judicial strike if the government does not respect the Supreme Court’s decision to freeze the dismissal of Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar.

This threat comes after the Supreme Court decided on Friday to freeze the government’s decision to dismiss Bar, pending a review of petitions filed against the decision.

According to the Panet website, the Israel Business Forum, representing approximately 200 business heads and leading business figures in the occupation state, announced its intention to declare a general strike if the government does not respect the court’s decision.

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The Forum stated that if the court’s decision is ignored, they will call on the public to disregard government decisions, bringing the economy to a standstill.

It called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt the “internal down spiral” being led by the government.

The roots of the crisis lie in the government’s decision to fire Shin Bet Director Bar, which sparked widespread controversy in political and legal circles. Several groups, including opposition parties and civil society organisations, filed petitions with the Supreme Court against this decision, arguing that it was based on “external considerations” related to the Shin Bet investigations and its position on the events of 7 October, 2023.

Based on these petitions, the Supreme Court decided to temporarily freeze the dismissal decision pending review.

Given these developments, pressure is mounting on the Israeli government to respect the judiciary’s decisions amid warnings of the economic and social repercussions that could result from ignoring these decisions.

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