Tel Aviv: Israel again is fighting a war on multiple fronts, but a battle is also brewing inside the country.
Tens of thousands of Israelis have joined anti-government protests in recent days. A former Supreme Court chief justice has warned of civil war. And experts are saying a constitutional crisis could be on the horizon if the Israeli government moves ahead with plans to fire top legal and security officials.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced last week he was firing Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet internal security service, citing a crisis of confidence sparked by the failures to prevent Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attacks.

Netanyahu’s government has also launched a process to dismiss the attorney general, accusing her of obstructing its agenda.

The moves come as the Shin Bet is investigating a possible infiltration of Netanyahu’s office by an Arab country and as Netanyahu is on trial for corruption.

They are setting up a showdown between Netanyahu and the judiciary that is deepening divisions in Israel and could set off upheaval at a time when Israel is bogged down by war.

Tensions between the government and state institutions Netanyahu’s government launched a sweeping overhaul of the judiciary in early 2023, a process that touched off mass protests.

Critics said the overhaul would undermine the country’s delicate system of checks and balances by granting too much power to Netanyahu. He and his governing coalition argued the judiciary had become overly interventionist and was blocking its legislative agenda.

Opponents also criticised Netanyahu for promoting the changes while on trial for........

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