Facing Court Review, Israeli Gov’t Retracts Firing of Shin Bet Chief but Resignation Stands
The Israeli government reversed its decision on Tuesday to dismiss Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar, one day after Bar announced he would step down on June 15. The move, made public through a Supreme Court filing, revokes a previous order from March to remove Bar from his post, a decision originally made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Bar, who leads Israel’s internal security agency, announced his resignation over what he described as his failure to prevent the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led assault on southern Israel, which killed approximately 1,200 people and marked the start of the current war in Gaza. His decision followed a monthslong power struggle with Netanyahu, who publicly declared a loss of confidence in Bar in March and sought to terminate him.
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The prime minister’s attempt to dismiss Bar was quickly challenged in the Supreme Court by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and members of the opposition. The court froze the dismissal pending further review. The government now argues that since Bar has chosen to resign, the legal challenge is no longer relevant. Petitioners have until May 7 to respond.
Observers say the government’s reversal is likely an effort to avoid a precedent-setting Supreme Court ruling that could constrain executive authority in future dismissal cases. The clash between Bar and Netanyahu has been further inflamed by an ongoing investigation into allegations that Netanyahu aides received money from Qatar, a Hamas ally and a key mediator in the war.
