Key points
- Sacking of Shin Bet chief seen as conflict of interest
- Alleged Qatari funding of Israeli govt is under probe
- Netanyahu’s cabinet approves no-confidence motion against attorney general
ISLAMABAD: Israel’s former chief justice, the highly respected Aharon Barak, made headlines last week when he said “Israel is very close to civil war.”
The statement created ripples and shocked many. But most Israelis were not surprised at all.
Since the resumption of the Gaza war, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has had protesters camping outside his house.
He is embroiled in multiple controversies including those of corruption and attempts to subvert the Israeli democracy, according to ABC News.
Netanyahu is also accused of resuming the war on Gaza and heightening tensions in the Middle East to derail various probes going against him. If found guilty, they can land behind the bars,
So what are the probes and controversies that are plaguing Israel’s far-right prime minister and the country itself?
Sacking head of Israel Security Agency
Netanyahu’s attempt to sack Israel’s internal security agency chief Ronen Bar was stopped by Israel’s Supreme Court which issued an injunction to prevent the head of the nation’s security service from being fired.
The Israeli cabinet formally approved the early dismissal of Ronen Bar on Thursday night, according to BBC.
No Israeli government had fired the director of Israel’s domestic spy agency in the Jewish state’s history.
Ronen Bar was one of the leaders of Israel’s negotiating team before being replaced in February by Netanyahu confidante Ron Dermer.
The Shin Bet director had criticised Netanyahu’s dealings with public officials, saying his “expectation of personal loyalty, whose purpose contradicts the public interest, is a fundamentally flawed expectation”.
This week, Bar wrote a letter to cabinet ministers directly linking his dismissal to the investigation into the prime minister’s office.
“Significant investigative steps are underway, and disrupting them through a sudden and rushed dismissal — based on entirely baseless claims — reeks of foreign interests and an unprecedented conflict of interest,” he wrote.
Qatar-gate
Qatari funding of the Israeli government and its partners has been a consistent rumour, according to the Jerusalem Post.
A large portion of the criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when it comes to the current war is a consistent claim among his detractors that he “allowed” this war to come about by permitting the transferring of Qatari funds, better known in Israel as “briefcases of money,” through Israel.
Now, the story we know as Qatargate has been blown wide open, and what was once a small point of contention is now one of the biggest stories of potential governmental corruption in the modern State of Israel, reported the Israeli publication.
Two other suspects have been detained in connection with the investigation, suspected of fraud, bribery, breach of trust, money-laundering and illegal contact with a foreign agent.
The scandal has led to suggestions Netanyahu may eventually be implicated, although the prime minister’s office says Feldstein did not work directly for him, according to ABC News.
Sacking the attorney-general
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet approved a no-confidence motion against the attorney general on Sunday, in its latest move on officials deemed hostile to the government, defying protesters who took to the streets for a sixth day.
After the vote, Justice Minister Yariv Levin called on Gali Baharav-Miara to resign, saying “substantial and prolonged differences of opinion” prevented effective cooperation between the government and its chief legal adviser, according to Reutter.
Israel’s Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara is a public servant, not a politician.
Her role is to both defend the government and oppose any actions considered illegal.
The attorney-general is also responsible for prosecuting elected officials, including — at the moment — Netanyahu.
Because he is still on trial for corruption charges, Netanyahu is barred by a conflict of interest agreement from participating in any decisions regarding the judicial system and law enforcement in general.
Reappointing Ben-Gvir to cabinet
The controversial National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir quit the cabinet in protest at Netanyahu accepting the ceasefire deal.
Convicted of multiple charges as a young man, including supporting a terrorist organisation and inciting racism, he is now in charge of the police.
Once described as a “pragmatic extremist”, Ben-Gvir was reappointed to the cabinet upon the Israeli government breaking the ceasefire on March 18 and resuming its attacks in Gaza.
Corruption trial
The government’s breaking of the ceasefire on March 18 coincided with a scheduled appearance by Netanyahu in court for his long-running corruption trial.
He was due to testify but requested the hearing be cancelled because of the resumption of fighting.
Netanyahu is facing charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust in three cases.
Benjamin Netanyahu grins as he walks into a courtroom to attend his trial.
In another, he’s been accused of colluding with a newspaper publisher for favourable coverage in exchange for legislation to weaken a commercial rival.
Netanyahu has also been facing allegations he changed telecommunications regulations for the financial benefit of a media company — also in exchange for favourable coverage.
