AhlulBayt News Agency: Israeli police clashed with protesters on Thursday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed Major General David Zini as the new head of the Shin Bet spy agency, despite the attorney general’s directive to freeze the process.
Hundreds of people gathered in central Tel Aviv, condemning Netanyahu’s decision to proceed with the appointment despite a Supreme Court ruling that the dismissal of outgoing Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar was “improper” and “unlawful.”
During the protests, Israeli police arrested four demonstrators. Protesters accused Netanyahu of acting like a “dictator” and warned that he is leading the country into a constitutional crisis.
They called for a nationwide strike to pressure the government into restoring the mandate to the people following its repeated failures.
On March 21, Bar was dismissed by a cabinet vote after Netanyahu claimed to have lost confidence in his ability following the events of October 7, 2023.
However, petitions challenging the dismissal reached the Supreme Court, which ruled on Wednesday that Netanyahu had a conflict of interest in the decision due to ongoing investigations into his aides in the Qatargate scandal.
The scandal involves allegations that a Qatari representative paid Netanyahu’s advisors to advance the country's interests in Israeli media.
Following the ruling, Israeli Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara instructed Netanyahu not to appoint a new Shin Bet chief while she assessed the legal implications.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid urged Zini to reject the appointment. Meanwhile, Benny Gantz, leader of the opposition party, criticized Netanyahu for “crossing another red line” by disregarding the attorney general’s instructions.
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