Israel's top court stops Netanyahu from dismissing Shin Bet chief

Hours after Netanyahu's Cabinet unanimously approved the dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, the Supreme Court ordered a temporary halt to his dismissal until an appeal can be heard.

The court said it was delaying the dismissal until an appeal could be heard no later than April 8. Netanyahu’s office had said Bar’s dismissal was effective April 10, but that it could come earlier 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 acknowledged failures by the security agency.

The Israeli government unanimously approved the dismissal of Shin Bet chief marking the first time in the country’s history that the head of its internal security agency has been removed from office, according to Israeli media reports.

“The government unanimously approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposal to end ISA (Israel Securities Authority) Director Ronen Bar’s term of office,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on Friday.

The daily Times of Israel reported that this is the first time an Israeli Shin Bet chief has been dismissed.

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Source: TRT