Netanyahu Pushes Israel to the Brink of Constitutional Crisis

Mass protests and strike threats rock the country amid fears the Prime Minister will defy the Supreme Court.

- James Shotter

For 18 months, Israel has been consumed by battles with external foes. But its internal rifts have returned to the fore after Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu's government resumed an offensive against pillars of the state, bringing the country to the brink of a constitutional crisis.

Mr. Netanyahu and his allies have moved to dismiss the country's most senior legal official, passed a law to give politicians control over Supreme Court appointments, and pushed ahead with plans to replace Israel's domestic spy chief - despite an order from the top court freezing his dismissal.

The moves have drawn threats of strikes from unions and business groups, and sparked a wave of anti-government protests among Israelis already angered by Mr. Netanyahu ending the ceasefire with Hamas without bringing home the 59 hostages still held in Gaza.

They have also fueled fears that the government might defy the Supreme Court if it ultimately forbids the sacking of Mr. Ronen Bar, chief of spy agency Shin Bet. Doing so would pitch the country into uncharted territory and raise serious questions about the future of its democratic institutions.

"It feels like the system is teetering," said Ms. Noa Sattath, head of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, which has filed a challenge against the judicial appointments Bill. "If we get to the point where the government outright defies the Supreme Court, that will be a very big moment."

The stand-off between the far-right government and the country's legal system began in earnest when Mr. Netanyahu returned to power in 2022 and launched a controversial bid to weaken the judiciary, which triggered the biggest wave of street protests in Israeli history.