The first letter was 11 pages long. The unusual udocument, written by Ronen Bar, the former head of Israel's domestic intelligence service, the Shin Bet, features a serious public accusation against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The second letter, standing at 31 pages, was also written by Bar, and, while its contents are confidential, as it includes classified information, it serves to support the first letter. Both documents have, since Monday, April 21, been reviewed by the judges of Israel's Supreme Court, who will determine if Netanyahu respected the rules in his decision to dismiss the intelligence agency head.

The case before Israel's highest judicial authority extends far beyond Bar's individual fate, after he was dismissed by Netanyahu over a "lack of confidence" in him as the Shin Bet head, a decision that was temporarily suspended by the Supreme Court on April 8.

The battle pits two factions within Israeli society, two visions of democracy and its safeguards, against each other, reviving the open conflict that began in early 2023, when the Israeli prime minister initiated a judicial reform aimed at curbing judges' powers and independence. The project sparked massive protests that lasted several months, before being interrupted by the shock of the October 7 terrorist attack and the onset of the war in Gaza.

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