In a highly charged interview with Israel’s Radio 103FM on Tuesday, former Religious Zionist Party MK Zvi Sukkot made waves by asserting that a ruling by the High Court of Justice supporting the removal of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be ignored, should such a scenario arise.
Sukkot’s remarks came in response to recent developments involving Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) Chief Ronen Bar, who submitted an affidavit to the High Court contesting his dismissal by the government. The issue has inflamed debate over legal authority, democratic checks and balances, and the boundaries of executive power in Israel.
“This Is a Coup, Not a Legal Proceeding”
According to Sukkot, the potential collaboration between the head of the Shin Bet, Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara, and the High Court to declare Netanyahu unfit for office would constitute what he describes as an illegal seizure of power.
“There cannot be a situation where the prime minister wants to fire people from their positions, and then suddenly those who decide to remove him do so with authority they do not have by law, and the High Court supports this,” Sukkot stated.
He went further, calling such a move “a political event, an event of a coup,” and stressed, “we cannot cooperate with it.”
Sukkot framed his criticism within a broader concern about the balance of power in Israel’s democratic institutions. His statements tap into growing tensions between the executive branch and judicial authorities, as well as longstanding criticisms from the right regarding what they see as overreach by Israel’s legal system.
Defense of Netanyahu Amid Political Turmoil
Sukkot did not stop at criticizing the judiciary. He also took aim at Ronen Bar, questioning the timing and motivations behind his affidavit and public statements.
“Aren’t you bothered that a person, under whose watch these things happened, only remembers to speak to the public after he is fired?” he said.
Sukkot further argued that the role of Israel’s security leadership must be depoliticized and rooted in loyalty to democratic processes, not media optics or political games.
“I expect from the head of the Shin Bet, that if the prime minister tells him, ‘Go spy on citizens illegally, turn the Shin Bet into the Stasi,’ he should leave at that moment, hand over the keys, and tell the people of Israel, ‘This is what the prime minister is trying to do,’” Sukkot added, implying that if Bar had concerns, he should have raised them earlier, not after facing termination.
The Broader Implications
This bold assertion that the judiciary can be ignored if it rules against Netanyahu has sparked a firestorm among legal experts, opposition figures, and defenders of judicial independence. Many warn that Sukkot’s stance risks undermining Israel’s democratic institutions and the public’s faith in the rule of law.
With Israeli politics already navigating turbulent waters amid national security challenges, judicial reform debates, and deep political polarization, Sukkot’s comments underscore the fragility of Israel’s institutional trust and the heightened tensions within the current political climate.
As the situation develops, eyes will remain on both the High Court and Prime Minister Netanyahu’s next moves — with a nation watching closely as questions of legality, leadership, and legitimacy hang in the balance.
