AG bars PM from replacing Shin Bet chief following High Court injunction freezing his dismissal

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara informs Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he is prohibited from appointing a new head of the Shin Bet, or even conducting interviews for the job, following the High Court of Justice injunction earlier today suspending the government’s decision to dismiss the security chief.

Baharav-Miara, who the government is also seeking to fire, says in a letter to Netanyahu that her instructions even include a bar on appointing a temporary head of the service. Her instructions will likely remain in effect until the High Court makes a final ruling on the issue, although she does not stipulate a timeframe in her letter.

The letter comes as Netanyahu critics fear that the premier will ignore the court injunction and proceed with appointing a replacement for Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, who the government voted to fire last night.

The court in its injunction stated that a hearing on petitions against the decision to fire the Shin Bet head will be set for no later than April 8.

The attorney general adds that in the meantime, the question of whether Netanyahu can involve himself in the process of appointing a new Shin Bet chief will be examined, “due to the concern of a conflict of interest.”

The Shin Bet is currently conducting a criminal investigation into allegedly unlawful ties between senior aides to Netanyahu and Qatar. The attorney general has suggested Netanyahu may have a conflict of interest in hiring and firing the head of the Shin Bet due to the so-called Qatar-gate investigation.

Netanyahu also signed a conflict of interest agreement in 2020 prohibiting him from involvement in the appointment of judges and senior law enforcement officials due to his ongoing criminal trial on corruption charges. The head of the Shin Bet would appear to be among those officials included in that agreement.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s Office announces that it has requested permission from the attorney general’s office to hire a private attorney to represent the government in the High Court hearings on petitions against its dismissal of Bar.