The Israeli Supreme Court prevents the government from dismissing Shin Bet director until the case is resolved

The Israeli Supreme Court decided, on Tuesday evening, to prevent the government from implementing the decision to dismiss the head of the General Security Service (Shin Bet), Ronen Bar, or announcing a replacement for him, until the case is concluded.

The court, which is the highest judicial body in Israel, issued its decision after an 11-hour session to consider petitions submitted by the opposition against the government’s decision to dismiss Bar.

According to the Israeli website Walla, “The Supreme Court issued a temporary injunction preventing the government from dismissing Ronen Bar, including announcing a replacement for him”.

It also decided to prevent the government from issuing instructions to officials subject to Barr’s authority.

The court gave the government and its legal adviser, Gali Baharav-Miara, until the end of Passover on April 19 to reach a compromise on Bar’s dismissal.

Before the hearing was adjourned, Judge Noam Solberg told the government’s attorney, Zion Amir, that consideration should be given to bringing the dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar to the committee responsible for appointing senior officials.

Following the government’s decision to dismiss the head of the Shin Bet, Gali Baharav-Miara recommended that the matter be referred to the advisory committee responsible for appointing senior officials, a move the government rejected.

The court’s options are to reject the opposition’s motions and allow Barr’s dismissal, to grant them and block his dismissal, or to seek a settlement in which the parties agree on a timetable for his departure.

While Netanyahu attributed his decision to dismiss Bar to a “lack of trust” in him, the opposition says Netanyahu’s criterion for retaining officials is “their personal loyalty to him”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday evening described the Supreme Court’s decision to keep Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar in his position as “puzzling”.

Netanyahu said in a statement that “the Supreme Court’s decision to postpone the end of his (Bar’s) term for ten days is puzzling,” commenting on the court’s announcement that Barr could remain in office “until a later decision is issued,” and its call for the parties involved to reach a settlement before April 20.

On March 20, the government unanimously approved Netanyahu’s proposal to dismiss Bar, the first such decision in Israel’s history, despite thousands of protests.

Hours after the government’s decision, the Supreme Court froze Bar’s dismissal pending appeals from opposition parties, and government officials indicated they planned not to respect the court’s ruling.

The government informed the court on Sunday that failure to implement the decision to dismiss Bar could lead to “serious consequences that would endanger the security of the state and the citizens of Israel”.

On March 31, Netanyahu announced the appointment of former Navy Commander Eli Sharvit as head of the Shin Bet security service, but backed down under criticism within his government after it was revealed that Sharvit had participated in anti-government protests in early 2023.

The opposition says Netanyahu’s disagreements with Bar and the decision to dismiss him are a consequence of the government’s failure to confront the October 7 attack.