“A black flag of illegitimacy flies over [this decision],” read a joint call to protest from the organizations.
Thousands protested in Tel Aviv on Tuesday against the potential dismissal of Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief Ronen Bar and in a call to return the hostages held in Gaza captivity.
The protest was planned earlier this week
After Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s Sunday night announcement that he would move to Bar, a joint message went out from major protest organizations calling for a mass protest of the firing.
The decision was made after a three-hour collaborative discussion among approximately 100 protest leaders in Israel on Monday morning.
“The decision to dismiss the head of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, is being made by a person in a blatant conflict of interest, whose office is under a security investigation for cooperation with Qatar, and a black flag of illegitimacy flies over it,” read a joint call to protest from the organizations.
“We cannot allow the coalition to realize its vision and destroy Israel completely,” Hofshi B’Artzenu (Free in Our Land) CEO Eran Schwartz said. “The protest is a way for the people to express their opposition to the regime. The majority of the people understand that what is at stake is [either] the future of the coalition or the future of the state, and the masses want to come and demand the future of the state.
עשרות אלפי אנשים כעת בכיכר הבימה בת”א בהפגנת חירום בהובלת בכירי מערכת הביטחון לדורותיהם: ישראל על סף תהום! קישור לשידור החי מהעצרת:https://t.co/hkTDqCjTssצילום רחפן: רוני לוינסון pic.twitter.com/XeNkjUe9CS
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Attorney-General’s response
Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara wrote a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday stating that in order to fire Bar, he would need to obtain the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Senior Appointments.