Supreme Court Justice Yitzhak Amit opened the hearing on petitions demanding the dismissal of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir this morning (Wednesday).
The hearing is taking place under exceptional restrictions and behind closed doors, after the court administration decided to block entry to the general public - for fear of riots in the courtroom.
Despite this, Knesset members from the coalition and the opposition were allowed in. The minister's entourage sees the debate as a platform to launch his election campaign, and in a tweet he posted this morning, he wrote: "They are afraid.".
Right-wing protesters gathered outside the courtroom with signs bearing slogans against the judicial system: "It's time to tell the High Court to stop," "End the legal dictatorship.".
The first to be removed from the discussion was Deputy Minister Almog Cohen, after he shouted at a colleague: "Corrupt!""
The hearing is expected to last several hours, with an expanded panel of nine judges examining the claims regarding the minister's fitness to continue in his position and the impact of his conduct on police work.
Minister Ben Gvir arrived at the courthouse under heavy security. In a speech he gave at the entrance to the hearing room, Ben Gvir chose not to defend himself against Gali Baharav's claims, but rather to proudly embrace them as proof of fulfilling his promises to the voters.
Ben Gvir began his remarks with a series of confirmations of her claims against him: "She says I set policy and change the police? Is she right. She says I appointed more than 1,100 officers to implement my policy? Is she right. She says I back the fighters and support 'Force 100' in the face of the blood libel against them? She is right. The people of Israel chose me and Otzma Yehudit to lead all these things and, thank God, we succeeded.".
He spoke harshly against the "fired advisor," as he put it. According to him, the only reason for the High Court hearing is the fact that he dared to control his office: "I am not a model of the Attorney General's Office. I am not a potted plant. I am a minister elected to govern. The Attorney General wants a minister of ceremonies, the people of Israel want a minister of actions. The only reason we are here today is because I kept my word to the voters, I promised policy, I promised governance, I promised that I would control my office, that is exactly what I did - and that is what the fired advisor cannot tolerate.".
The minister sent a clear message to the judges and the legal system: "The time has come for those who vote right-wing to receive right-wing. The attempt to interfere in the appointment of a minister and his powers is dangerous. It is a slippery slope to a constitutional crisis. In a democracy, the minister sets policy and the minister also appoints those who implement it. Not a legal advisor, not a prosecutor's office, nor their emissaries. Do not drag the State of Israel into a constitutional crisis. Democracy will not fall. But the legal dictatorship - will.".
Ben Gvir concluded his speech with a call to his supporters: "The people are not afraid, the people are not deterred, the people are not retreating, the people chose the right - and they will accept the right, and those who do not accept it are invited to run in the elections. We were elected to govern and we will govern.".
The Shas faction responded to the Ben Gvir High Court hearing: "The very fact that a High Court hearing is being held to dismiss a government minister on political grounds is absurd and a symbol of the loss of restraint and the trampling of democracy by the Supreme Court justices.".
""The authority to appoint and dismiss ministers is given by law only to the Prime Minister. The court has no authority to discuss this, and it should have rejected the petition outright.".
