AG tells High Court allowing Shin Bet chief’s dismissal risks robbing agency of its independence

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara formally submits her stance against the government’s decision to fire Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, telling the High Court of Justice that the dismissal is “tainted with a personal conflict of interest” with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu due to the criminal investigations of his associates.”

She is referring to the Shin Bet’s ongoing investigation into the premier’s aides’ allegedly illicit ties to Qatar.

In a letter sent to the court ahead of its hearing next week on petitions against the firing, Baharav-Miara says, “This decision has implications that go far beyond the interests of the current Shin Bet chief and that leaving the decision intact “will undermine the ability of future Shin Bet chiefs to act independently,” as opposed to out of loyalty to the government.