Israel’s Supreme Court suspends launch of intelligence director

Israel’s Supreme Court suspended the government’s head of the domestic intelligence agency on Friday hours after the cabinet agreed to the decision.

The judge issued an interim injunction on Friday that will remain in place until a hearing, according to the court. It will be held by April 8 at the latest.

Despite the massive protests, the Israeli government approved high controversy over Shin Bet Head Ronen Bar at night.

Several groups filed petitions with the court against the government’s ruling.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid said in an article on X that center-right party Yesh Atid and others filed applications to the Supreme Court to challenge the bar’s dismissal.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that the bar association will resign on April 8 unless a successor is appointed before that.

Netanyahu first announced plans to open a bar fire on Sunday night, sparking massive protests. Israeli media reported that this is the first time in Israel’s history that the person in charge of Shinbet has been rejected.

Netanyahu cited the “lack of trust” by Bar as the reason for his dismissal.

The relationship between the two is already tense. Netanyahu took out the bar association from the Israeli negotiation team and negotiated indirectly with the Palestinian Islamic organization Hamas on the war in Gaza.

Netanyahu’s policy is criticism in the investigation of the complaint.

In addition, Shin BET is investigating the alleged illegal relationship between colleagues in Netanyahu and Qatar.

Qatar is one of the negotiators in the talks with Hamas and a supporter of the organization.

Israeli companies force government to comply with court orders

After the bar association is fired, many Israeli companies threaten the consequences if the government fails to comply with court orders.

Media reports say Israel’s major economic forum threatens to paralyze the country’s economy if the government does not respect the order.

“If the Israeli government fails to comply with the order and plunges Israel is in a constitutional crisis, we call on the entire Israeli public to no longer respect the government’s decisions,” the forum said.

According to Israeli news website YNET, dozens of the largest companies in the technology industry are also considered the driver of the Israeli economy.

If the government ignores court orders, they threaten to close the company.

Some ministers have previously stated that the courts have no authority to interfere with the government’s decision to reject lawyers.

Israeli Defense Minister threatens to occupy other parts of Gaza

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Katz threatened to occupy more areas of the Gaza Strip on Friday to put more pressure on the Palestinian Islamic group Hamas.

According to his office, the longer Hamas refuses to release the hostages, Katz said the more territory it will lose to Israel. It said he had directed the army to call on local residents to escape in this situation.

Despite some Israeli media reports, no details on how to seize the territory have been provided.

Kaz also mentioned the expansion of unspecified safe areas in the Gaza Strip border area, saying that these areas should be permanently controlled by Israel.

He warned that Israel would impose all “military and civilian pressure”, including “the evacuation of the population southward of the Gaza Strip”.

He said Israel insisted on the proposal of U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to release all kidnappers and hostage bodies in the Gaza Strip for two phases, and a ceasefire in both phases.

Witkoff proposed plans for the effect about three weeks ago, although at a recent mediator meeting he proposed an updated plan to extend a ceasefire that lasted for weeks and to release only a few hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

Meanwhile, Hamas demanded the immediate implementation of the second phase of the Gaza Agreement, which ended the war and the evacuation of Israeli forces, initially beginning in early March. However, the two sides of the conflict have not yet negotiated the key points.

This week’s re-fight broke the fragile ceasefire since January.

On Thursday, the Israeli military launched a ground offensive in Rafa, southern Gaza. Ground attacks continued in the northern and central Gaza, while Israeli air strikes targeted the entire territory.