Israel’s Supreme Court orders far-right minister to respond to petitions demanding his dismissal

Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s national security minister, during an interview in his office at the Knesset in Jerusalem, Israel, on 22 July, 2024 [Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg via Getty Images]

Israel’s Supreme Court today ordered far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to respond within six days to petitions demanding his dismissal.

Israeli human rights groups accuse Ben-Gvir of interfering in operational police matters and have called for his dismissal. The extremist minister, however, argues that the police force falls under his authority as national security minister.

In February, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding concerns about Ben-Gvir’s conduct as minister.

In response, Ben-Gvir accused the attorney general of staging a coup against an elected government and called for her dismissal.

In March, the Israeli government unanimously voted to withdraw confidence from Baharav-Miara.

Ben-Gvir is notorious for his anti-Palestinian rhetoric and has called for continuing Israel’s brutal onslaught on the Gaza Strip, where nearly 51,400 people have been killed since October 2023.

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