High Court blocks Netanyahu's attempt to dismiss Shin Bet chief
Large protests erupted after Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet voted to oust domestic intelligence chief Ronen Bar
Israel's High Court of Justice issued an injunction to freeze the dismissal of Shin Bet director Ronen Bar just hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet unanimously voted to approve it, Ynet reported on 21 March.
Justice Gila Canfy-Steinitz ruled that Bar's firing would be suspended pending further legal proceedings. A hearing on the petitions against the dismissal will be held no later than 8 April.
“Without taking a stance on the petitions, and to prevent an irreversible situation, a temporary order is issued suspending the government's decision until further notice,” the judge wrote.
Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi sharply criticized the ruling.
“You have no legal authority to interfere. This is the government's domain alone. Your order is invalid. The people are sovereign,” Karhi said.
Netanyahu also criticized the High Court while warning against unrest and protests that erupted after his Cabinet's decision to oust Bar.
“There will be no civil war! The State of Israel is a state of law and according to the law, the Israeli government decides who will be the head of the Shin Bet,” the prime minister wrote on the social media site X.
“We're very, very worried that our country is becoming a dictatorship,” Rinat Hadashi, 59, said during a protest against Netanyahu in Jerusalem. “They're abandoning our hostages, they're neglecting all the important things for this country.”
Bar did not attend the Cabinet meeting but issued a detailed letter rejecting the reasons given for his firing. Bar claimed his dismissal was politically motivated and aimed to undermine an ongoing investigation into alleged ties between staff in Netanyahu's office and the Qatari government.
In his letter, Bar wrote that the Cabinet session “was convened hastily and in violation of basic legal principles, particularly the right to a hearing.”
A senior political source accused Bar of not attending the Cabinet meeting to avoid answering questions about the Hamas attack on Israeli settlements and military bases on 7 October 2023. The source accused Bar of having advance knowledge of the Hamas attack and then failing to take any action or notify the prime minister.
Israel's military and intelligence services ignored many indications the night before that a Hamas attack was imminent, leading some to speculate it was allowed to happen on purpose.
Bar strongly denied the accusation and renewed calls for an independent inquiry into the events of 7 October, something Netanyahu has opposed.
“The call for an independent and thorough investigation into 7 October, and related issues, is a duty – not disloyalty,” Bar wrote. “Efforts to obstruct such a probe for personal or political gain pose a direct threat to Israel's security.”
Netanyahu dismissed Bar after accusing him of “soft handling” and “weak negotiation tactics” during ceasefire talks with Hamas that were meant to win the release of Israelis held captive in Gaza.
The prime minister said that he had replaced Bar as head of the negotiation team in January. “Since then, leaks have diminished, and we succeeded in bringing hostages home,” he said.
In response, Bar noted that the ceasefire deal had already been finalized before he was removed from the negotiation team. He also accused Netanyahu of seeking to sabotage the talks to bring home the remaining Israeli captives.
Bar's letter also claimed that his dismissal may be linked to ongoing sensitive investigations into alleged Qatari influence within the Prime Minister's Office.
“A rushed attempt to remove me, backed by unfounded claims and clear conflicts of interest, directly endangers the Shin Bet's ability to function professionally and threatens Israel's national security,” he wrote.