If any doubts remain that Benjamin Netanyahu aims to transform Israel into an authoritarian state, where the prime minister is above the law and dissent is presumed subversive, an eight-page affidavit submitted to the country's supreme court this week should dispel them. Written by Ronen Bar, the embattled former head of the Shin Bet security agency, the document is testimony from the pinnacle of Israeli power. In legalese mixed with intimations of personal pain, Bar lists Netanyahu's attempts to turn the Shin Bet into a secret police protecting the prime minister personally rather than the nation. He also details his refusals to accede to these demands. The open clash between Netanyahu and Bar began this winter. In late February, the Shin Bet, along with the police, had begun investigating allegations that top Netanyahu aides had financial ties to the government of Qatar, which funds Hamas. Less than three weeks later, the prime minister decided to dismiss the Shin Bet chief on the...
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