Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel named a new chief of the domestic intelligence service on Monday, moving his government closer to a showdown with the Supreme Court, which temporarily suspended the dismissal of the current spy chief earlier this month.
Mr. Netanyahu’s office announced that Eli Sharvit, a former head of the Navy, would succeed Ronen Bar, the current head of the Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic spy agency. Mr. Netanyahu’s cabinet decided earlier in March that Mr. Bar would be dismissed early from his post, as soon as a successor was installed.
The prime minister’s move on Monday narrowly averted a constitutional crisis. Officials clarified that Mr. Sharvit’s installation in the role would be delayed until the Supreme Court holds a hearing on April 8 about the legality of Mr. Bar’s dismissal.
But the episode has already heightened fears among Mr. Netanyahu’s critics that he is trying to expand his power beyond constitutional norms.
Mr. Netanyahu’s critics have accused him of firing Mr. Bar for investigating the prime minister’s aides, accused of leaking state secrets to a foreign newspaper and working for people connected to a foreign government.
Mr. Netanyahu has said Mr. Bar was fired because of a breakdown of trust between the two men. Mr. Netanyahu’s office has also blamed Mr. Bar for lapses early on the morning of Oct. 7, 2023, that allowed Hamas to launch its attack on Israel that day and ignite the war in Gaza.
The dismissal of Mr. Bar came amid a wider effort by Mr. Netanyahu to diminish the influence of state watchdogs.
Last week, Israel’s governing coalition passed a law in Parliament that gives politicians more control over the selection of Supreme Court justices. And, earlier in March, the cabinet began the process of firing the government’s top lawyer, Gali Baharav-Miara, who has angered Mr. Netanyahu by questioning the legality of government decisions and overruling them.
