The Israeli Supreme Court has begun hearing a petition seeking the dismissal of far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over alleged interference in the police force.
The panel of judges decided to hold the session behind closed doors due to potential security concerns during the hearing, while allowing the proceedings to be broadcast live.
Before the hearing began, dozens of Ben-Gvir supporters gathered outside the courthouse. Demonstrators carried banners reading, “It’s time to say enough to the Supreme Court” and “End judicial dictatorship.”
Ben-Gvir, who arrived at the courthouse, addressed his supporters gathered outside.
Stating that Israeli Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara accused him of “changing policy and the police, and interfering in appointments—and that she is right,” Ben-Gvir said, “More than half a million voters elected us to carry out this real change.”
Warning the Supreme Court, Ben-Gvir added, “Do not drag Israel into a constitutional crisis, division, or polarization. Democracy will not collapse; legal dictatorship will.”
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Yariv Levin from the ruling Likud Party said that any decision by the court to dismiss Ben-Gvir “will not be implemented.”
Levin argued that the process at the Supreme Court is unlawful, stating that under the law, the authority to appoint or dismiss a minister belongs to the prime minister, not the court.
Israeli Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara had previously applied to the Supreme Court for Ben-Gvir’s dismissal, citing his political and unlawful interference in the police force, which she argued undermines the democratic order.