Netanyahu’s Move To Oust Israeli Internal Security Chief Stalled As Supreme Court Intervenes
Israel’s Supreme Court temporarily blocks PM Netanyahu’s dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, citing legal concerns. The appeal will be heard by April 8 amid growing political and security tensions.
Israel’s Supreme Court on Friday issued a temporary halt to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s dismissal of Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet internal security service, until his appeal can be heard. The decision came just hours after Netanyahu’s Cabinet unanimously approved his request to fire Bar. The court stated that it was delaying the firing until an appeal could be heard no later than April 8. Netanyahu’s office had announced that Bar’s dismissal was set to take effect on April 10 but noted that it could happen sooner if a replacement was found.
Israel’s Attorney General has ruled that the Cabinet has no legal basis to dismiss Bar.
A Shin Bet report into Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack, which triggered the ongoing war, acknowledged failures by the security agency. However, the report also pointed to policies implemented by Netanyahu’s government as having created conditions that enabled the attack.
Netanyahu, with a secure majority in parliament and strengthened by the return of hardline National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, has so far managed to withstand protests against his government. However, the divisions within Israeli society have deepened since his return to power at the end of 2022.
The dismissal of Bar follows more than two years of mounting tensions between Netanyahu’s supporters and elements within the security and defense establishment. These tensions escalated further as blame was assigned over the failures that led to Hamas’ October 7 attack—the worst security disaster in Israel’s history.
Even before the Gaza war, Netanyahu faced mass protests over his controversial judicial overhaul plan, which he argued was necessary to check judicial overreach. Protesters, however, viewed the move as a direct threat to democracy.
In a letter to the government published on Thursday, Bar refuted the grounds for his dismissal, calling it "baseless" and claiming it was driven by "other, illegitimate concerns." His dismissal came amid an ongoing investigation into bribery allegations involving Qatar and Netanyahu’s aides, further fueling speculation about the true motivations behind the decision.
The protests over Bar’s dismissal have blended with ongoing demonstrations by supporters of the Israeli hostages still held in Gaza. Many of these demonstrators were shocked by the government’s decision to resume bombing Gaza after weeks of truce and to redeploy troops to the Palestinian enclave. With tensions escalating, all eyes are now on Israel’s Supreme Court as it prepares to hear Bar’s appeal by April 8.
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