Israeli Supreme Court Justice Gila Knafi-Steinmetz issued a precautionary injunction on Friday, freezing the Israeli government's decision yesterday to dismiss Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar. The injunction was issued while she considered petitions against the dismissal filed by opposition groups and parties.

According to the court, the court's decision freezes Barr's dismissal until the petitions are considered, and no later than April 8. The court ordered the government to respond to the petitions in writing by next Monday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted during yesterday's cabinet meeting that he would not comply with the Supreme Court's ruling, saying, "Does anyone think we'll continue to work (with the Shin Bet chief) without a trust because of a court order? That can't happen, and it won't happen," potentially leading to a constitutional crisis.

Netanyahu added that the Shin Bet chief "uses the word 'trust' to deceive. He knows that I do not demand a 'commitment of personal trust' for myself."

He continued, "It is possible to listen to and heed suggestions, but it is unacceptable for the head of the Shin Bet to publicly push a particular method to a committee of inquiry. He must say so in private and not drag the agency into political matters." He added, "I must look at him with my own eyes and rely on him professionally and personally without reservation when approving sensitive operations."

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote on the X platform that "the Supreme Court justices will not direct the war and will not decide its commanders."

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi stated that the Supreme Court justice lacked legal authority to intervene in Bar's dismissal, stating, "This is the government's sole authority. Your decision is baseless. The story is over. Sovereignty belongs to the people."

For its part, the Business Forum, which includes approximately 200 business leaders, announced that "if the government does not respect the court order and leads Israel into a constitutional crisis, we will call on the entire Israeli public to cease respecting government decisions, with all that that entails, and we will shut down the economy. If the government does not abide by the law, no one will."

The heads of opposition parties and organizations filed petitions to the Supreme Court against the dismissal of the Shin Bet chief this morning. These petitions were submitted by the Yesh Atid, National Union, Yisrael Beiteinu, and the Democratic Union parties, as well as the Movement for Quality Government and the Movement for Purity of Values, among others.

Opposition parties said the decision to dismiss the Shin Bet chief "was made in light of a severe conflict of interest on the part of the prime minister, based on subjective considerations related to Shin Bet investigations in his office, and the Shin Bet's position that the political echelon bears responsibility for the October 7 disaster."

The petitions noted that the Shin Bet chief's dismissal occurred "only after the Shin Bet investigation clearly pointed to the political echelon's responsibility for the October 7 disaster. This is all the more significant given that the prime minister is preventing the formation of an official commission of inquiry, and the entire government is openly and deliberately obstructing any steps that could have investigated responsibility for the disaster."

Thousands of Israelis demonstrated near Netanyahu's home yesterday and the day before. Police suppressed the demonstrators, spraying them with sewage water and assaulting some of them, including the leader of the Democratic Party, Yair Golan, who was violently pushed to the ground by a police officer.