Israel’s High Court of Justice on Friday temporarily blocked the Israeli cabinet’s dismissal of Ronen Bar, the head of the country’s internal security agency, Shin Bet, days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Bar’s dismissal over its failure to stop the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel.
The judicial intervention followed shortly after Netanyahu’s cabinet voted unanimously to remove Bar, marking the first instance of a Shin Bet director’s removal from service.
The High Court of Justice, Israel’s highest court, stipulated that the intelligence chief’s removal will remain suspended until an appeal hearing, scheduled no later than April 8. Netanyahu’s office had set the dismissal date for April 10, whilst indicating the chief could be relieved earlier upon securing a replacement.
Israel’s attorney general Gali Baharav-Miara had already said the cabinet lacked the legal authority to remove Bar from his position. Netanyahu then wrote a letter to Baharav-Miara to “remind” her that the government had “exclusive authority” to sack the Shin Bet boss.
The agency’s assessment of the Hamas attack which triggered the ongoing Gaza war, has acknowledged the security agency’s shortcomings. However, it also indicated that the Netanyahu government’s policies contributed to circumstances that enabled the attack.
Netanyahu’s dissatisfaction with the Shin Bet also stems from its ongoing investigation into connections between his close associates and Qatar, one of three countries (along with Egypt and the United States) which mediated to bring about a January ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The ceasefire has since expired and hostilities have resumed.
Critics view Netanyahu’s action as an attempt by him to assert control over an autonomous civil servant. His decision has sparked widespread protests, with thousands of Israelis gathering to support Bar, including demonstrations outside the prime minister’s residence on Friday.
Meanwhile, Hamas released a statement asserting that the Shin Bet chief’s dismissal reflects “growing leadership instability” in Israel. It alleged Netanyahu “engineered sham negotiations to stall and buy time without any genuine intention of reaching tangible outcomes.”
