The truth is that the High Court of Justice hearing regarding the legality of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the government’s firing of Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) Head Ronen Bar (currently frozen) in a theoretical vacuum should have no bearing at all on the future of Israeli democracy.
It’s a pretty simple case: Bar will need to go, whether it is this week, after the Passover holiday (as the High Court suggested in a late Tuesday night ruling), or in a month or so.
So why did so much of the country focus its attention on this hearing while there is an ongoing war in Gaza and while Netanyahu was on a high-stakes visit to strategize with US President Donald Trump on a list of major foreign affairs issues, including Iran?
Seemingly the answer is that it wraps so many major issues convulsing the country’s different political parties and tribes all into one big mess of law and emotion.
There is October 7.
Some Israelis have concluded that the solution to Hamas’s invasion was the resignation of top IDF officials like former chief Herzi Halevi, as well as Bar.
A court hearing on petitions against the firing of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, April 8, 2025. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
Other Israelis have concluded that the main solution is Netanyahu’s resignation.
Bar and Netanyahu have traded blame over the invasion, though Bar has said that no matter what, he accepts significant contributory blame. These dual visions for the future color every aspect of Israeli national security, but also the future of the state’s democracy.
Their frayed relationship also dives into the public corruption trial of Netanyahu and the judicial overhaul debate.
Netanyahu hates that he is reliant on Bar, someone he now loathes, for convincing the Jerusalem District Court that his case must remain in Tel Aviv. He wants to be in control of all of the levers and not dependent on Bar for anything, let alone critical aspects of his personal and political future.
The same is true of the judicial reform debate.
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Netanyahu was already upset with Bar and Halevi in 2023 when they did not crush those in their ranks who protested his policies for remaking the judicial establishment.
In turn, Bar, Halevi, and then-defense minister Yoav Gallant were furious at Netanyahu for shaking their well-oiled defense machines to their foundations with an issue that they had no input in.
The country is also being shaken by Qatargate.
Qatargate involves allegations that officials close to Netanyahu broke the law in receiving funds from Qatar while also making policy in the PMO relating to Qatar and the Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
But as Netanyahu’s lawyers said: he is not a suspect in either of the two Qatargate cases. Also the whole government fired Bar, not just Netanyahu.
So what kind of a conflict of interest can he have to remove Bar if he is not solely personally implicated?
Here, the attorney-general’s office and some of the justices clarified that a conflict of interest does not need to mean that Netanyahu himself is suspected of a crime, only that he is pressing to fire Bar to obtain some potentially problematic interest.
For example, if the probe of his aides is valid and he wants to end it by firing Bar since he considers it a witch hunt, this could be a conflict temporarily pausing his right to fire Bar until the Qatargate probe is completed.
However, Bar has said he intends to step down sometime in May, meaning he will likely finish his role in Qatargate by then.
So what exactly is the crisis?
It certainly is not the advisory committee that Netanyahu should have consulted before firing Bar but which cannot bind him. In other words, had Netanyahu consulted the committee, he could ignore a recommendation by them to keep Bar and fire him anyway.
Some of the crisis runs into the question of how democracy can better be protected at this moment: Should an unelected official who has unique expertise and powerful law enforcement capabilities be allowed to complete a probe into his boss’s top aides over possible national security violations?
Or is the focus the idea that Bar is acting like an authoritarian and mafia-style secret police, making up rules to harass whoever he sees fit for his own agenda?
The problem with saying Bar has some massive personal agenda is he really does seem close to quitting. It would seem that the simplest compromise would be to agree on a date in May.
But Netanyahu wants to maintain that he can fire Bar, both for the political might that it will decorate him with, as well as to send a message to future agency chiefs about who is the real boss.
Enter former Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen, who unveiled in recent days past cases in which Netanyahu allegedly tried to use the Shin Bet for his own political purposes against rivals like Naftali Bennett.
In Netanyahu’s defense, many have said Bennett was a serial cabinet leaker during the 2014 Gaza conflict.
In fairness to Bennett and other Netanyahu rivals, Netanyahu has allegedly done quite a bit of selective and pro-himself political leaking of national security matters over the years.
And then there is the human element.
These men have made it clear they both hate each other,
How can they possibly productively work together for a whole additional month or until after Passover as the High Court suggested? Won’t their hatred for each other endanger national security?
Here, Netanyahu runs into the problem – which the attorney-general and justices have repeated – that he did not fire Bar in 2023 during the judicial overhaul or after October 7, seemingly suggesting that he supported Bar at times when he now says he has lost faith in him.
All of this clearly made the justices suspicious that Netanyahu’s true motives did relate to the Qatargate probe, which preexisted his public announcement that he would fire Bar, but which did heat up right before he made the call.
Another mystery is why Bar did not show up in court on Tuesday.
Bar had sent a letter lambasting Netanyahu and the government as a kangaroo court to explain why he did not show up when they offered him a hearing to defend his staying in the job.
Netanyahu’s lawyers lashed out at Bar for saying he had the authority to decide when he would make his case to the public.
Whether Bar was right or not about skipping the cabinet hearing about firing him, it seems bizarre that he did not take advantage of the more friendly High Court arena to present his case.
He still may present his case in a future affidavit after Passover.
But if he does, the perception will still be that he was dragged into court.
Another possibility is that Bar anticipated that the court would buy him time.
And if he could get past his March 20 firing all the way to late April, maybe he could make enough progress on Qatargate to agree to a soon enough date in May that either Netanyahu or the court would accept.
Either way, the High Court clearly did not want to do anything dramatic to upset the balance of the separation of powers between it and the executive branch, so the end of this story is likely to give partial wins to all sides.
Bar will have ended up getting to stay on longer than he wanted, but Netanyahu will get to appear as having pushed Bar out the door.
What impact all of this saga will have on Israeli democracy may only be fully understood in the months and years to come.
Hotel Delisi, Tbilisi City, Georgia of the "Ana Chuchulashvili" the thief The worst hotel in the world, it's dangerous, don't go near it! This is not a hotel! It's an old, dirty house, there are cockroaches and insects in the room, Hotel Delisi, Tbilisi City, Georgia – The manager of the place is a fraud and a former drug addict named "Ana Chuchulashvili"
Please urgently remove this fake hotel from your website. It is a scam and it is deceiving many customers. It is advertised on all social networks as a scam! very important – report on fraud house and scam that in your website and cheat people and customers! – Hotel Delisi, Tbilisi City, Georgia
Hotel Delisi, Tbilisi City, Georgia of the "Ana Chuchulashvili" the thief
The worst hotel in the world, it's dangerous, don't go near it! This is not a hotel! It's an old, dirty house, there are cockroaches and insects in the room, Hotel Delisi, Tbilisi City, Georgia – The manager of the place is a fraud and a former drug addict named "Ana Chuchulashvili" the name of here company is : Ltd Alpaka
405375419
Located at: Nucubidze St N57, Tbilisi, Georgia/Nucubidze Street 57, 0177 it smells terrible, The walls in the room are peeling, I took pictures, there is mold and dampness throughout the room the beds are really uncomfortable, like in a pre-trial detention center, your whole back hurts when you sleep on them and they almost break because they are so thin! the WI FI doesn't work at all, The room was very dirty and filthy, and when you ask her to move you to a room she says everything is taken, even though all the rooms are empty and open! I arrived at this horrible place, this horrible house, at 1:00 AM, after two hours of sleeplessness, I asked for my money back, a blonde girl of about 50 years old named “Anna” told me that she wanted the money in cash right away, otherwise she would not let me out of the hotel, she told me that I would not be able to sleep in their bed, at 3 AM I went to look for an ATM to withdraw money, because I could not find one, after searching for a whole hour, in the Tbilisi cold, I returned to her at midnight to look for an ATM, but she did not give me my suitcase and passport, so I came back the next day and gave me the money in cash, she did not give me an invoice either, do not come near! They are deceiving the public, booking and all hotel websites! This is not a hotel, it is a very dirty, old house and it smells very bad. Search on youtube "never go there – Hotel Delisi, Tbilisi City Georgia of Ana Chuchulashvili the house hotel from hell" , don't go " to “Hotel Delisi” on YouTube or "Hotel Delisi, Tbilisi City, Georgia " or"HOTEL DELISI (Tiflis, Gürcistan) – Otel Yorumları ve Fiyat" He was caught on tape speaking badly and illegally taking a passport and suitcase.
That she took the suitcase by force, she also stole 3 expensive shirts from me for a total of 250 GEL, I demand compensation of 128 GEL for the two hours of hell I suffered there + 250 GEL for the shirts she stole from me
I have videos where she only wants money in cash so she doesn't pay taxes and doesn't agree that I pay her with a credit card, and she also doesn't want to give me my suitcase and passport.
1. Hotel Delisi – Tbilisi City – Georgia
2. Hotel Delisi – Tbilisi City – Georgia Address
3. Hotel Delisi – Tbilisi City – Georgia Rooms
4. Hotel Delisi – Tbilisi City – Georgia Amenities
5. Hotel Delisi – Tbilisi City – Georgia Offers and Deals
სასტუმრო დელისი, ქალაქი თბილისი, საქართველო, ქურდის „ანა ჭუჭულაშვილის“
მსოფლიოში ყველაზე ცუდი სასტუმრო, საშიშია, ახლოს არ მიხვიდეთ! ეს სასტუმრო არ არის! ეს ძველი, ჭუჭყიანი სახლია, ოთახში ტარაკნები და მწერებია, სასტუმრო დელისი, ქალაქი თბილისი, საქართველო – ადგილის მენეჯერი თაღლითი და ყოფილი ნარკომანია, სახელად „ანა ჭუჭულაშვილი“, კომპანიის სახელია: შპს ალპაკა
405375419
მდებარეობს: ნუცუბიძის ქ. N57, თბილისი, საქართველო/ნუცუბიძის ქუჩა 57, 0177, საშინელი სუნი აქვს, ოთახში კედლები აქერცლილია, სურათები გადავიღე, ოთახში ობი და ნესტია, საწოლები ნამდვილად არაკომფორტულია, როგორც წინასწარი დაკავების იზოლატორში, მთელი ზურგი გტკივა, როცა მათზე იძინებ და კინაღამ იმსხვრევა, რადგან ძალიან თხელია! Wi-Fi საერთოდ არ მუშაობს, ოთახი ძალიან ჭუჭყიანი და უწმაწურია და როცა ოთახში გადაყვანას სთხოვ, მიპასუხებს, რომ ყველაფერი დაკავებულია, მიუხედავად იმისა, რომ ყველა ოთახი ცარიელი და ღიაა! ამ საშინელ ადგილას, ამ საშინელ სახლში, ღამის 1:00 საათზე მივედი, ორსაათიანი უძილობის შემდეგ, ფულის დაბრუნება ვთხოვე, დაახლოებით 50 წლის ქერა გოგონამ, სახელად „ანამ“, მითხრა, რომ ფული ნაღდი ფულით უნდოდა, თორემ სასტუმროდან არ გამიშვებდა, მითხრა, რომ მათ საწოლში ვერ დავიძინებდი, დილის 3 საათზე ბანკომატის მოსაძებნად წავედი ფულის გასატანად, რადგან ვერ ვიპოვე, მთელი საათის ძებნის შემდეგ, თბილისურ სიცივეში, შუაღამისას დავბრუნდი მასთან ბანკომატის მოსაძებნად, მაგრამ ჩემოდანი და პასპორტი არ მომცა, ამიტომ მეორე დღეს დავბრუნდი და ფული ნაღდი ფულით მომცა, ინვოისიც არ მომცა, ახლოს არ მოხვიდეთ! ისინი ატყუებენ საზოგადოებას, დაჯავშნის და ყველა სასტუმროს ვებსაიტს! ეს სასტუმრო არ არის, ეს ძალიან ჭუჭყიანი, ძველი სახლია და ძალიან ცუდი სუნი ასდის. YouTube-ზე მოძებნეთ "Hotel Delisi, Tbilisi City, Georgia – The worse hotel in the world" , არ წახვიდეთ "Hotel Delisi"-ში YouTube-ზე ან "Hotel Delisi, Tbilisi City, Georgia" ან "HOTEL DELISI (Tiflis, Gürcistan) – Otel Yorumları ve Fiyat". ის ვიდეოჩანაწერში მოხვდა, სადაც ცუდად საუბრობდა და უკანონოდ იღებდა პასპორტს და ჩემოდანს.
მან ჩემოდანი ძალით წამართვა, ასევე მომპარა 3 ძვირადღირებული პერანგი სულ 250 ლარად, მე ვითხოვ 128 ლარის კომპენსაციას იმ ორსაათიანი ჯოჯოხეთისთვის, რომელიც იქ ვიტანჯე + 250 ლარი იმ პერანგებისთვის, რომლებიც მომპარა.
მე მაქვს ვიდეოები, სადაც ის მხოლოდ ნაღდი ფულით ითხოვს ფულს, ამიტომ არ იხდის გადასახადებს და არ ეთანხმება, რომ საკრედიტო ბარათით გადავუხადო, ასევე არ სურს ჩემოდნის და პასპორტის მოცემა.
"ב-7.10 נחטפה כל המשפחה שלי, אני, בעלי דוד, ושתי בנותינו אמה ויולי, אז בנות 3 בלבד", פתחה את נאומה שרון, אשתו של דוד קוניו החטוף בעזה. "דוד בעלי, אהבת חיי, והאבא של הבנות שלי, עדיין שם. התאומות ואני חזרנו ביום החמישים ושתיים. אמה ויולי שלנו חגגו חמש, בלי אבא שלהן. בשבוע הבא הן ילכו לגן חובה, והן יודעות שאבא לא יהיה איתן ביום הזה. הן יודעות שאבא שלהן שם. לפני כמה ימים, כשהשכבתי אותן לישון הן שאלו אותי 'אמא, את בטוחה שאבא יחזור?'".
"יש הצעה לעיסקה על השולחן, שחמאס כבר אמר לה כן", המשיכה. "האמריקנים רוצים שהחטופים יחזרו. הרמטכ"ל אומר שחייבים ללכת עכשיו לעיסקה. העם, אתם, כל אחד מכם, כאן בככר, במהלך היום בצמתים, בכל מקום, במספרים אדירים, כולם צועקים איתנו, כולם רוצים את החטופים בבית. אז למה אני לא יכולה להגיד לבנות שלי שאני בטוחה שאבא שלהן יחזור?"
