Court president says Netanyahu raised conflict of interest worries over Bar

Supreme Court President Isaac Amit alleges that comments by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had created concerns that he had a conflict of interest in firing Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, since Netanyahu stated that indictments against his aides for mishandling classified documents were politically motivated to harm him.

Amit, presiding over a hearing on petitions seeking to block Bar’s firing, makes the comments in response to Netanyahu’s legal representative, attorney Zion Amir, who dismisses claims that the firing creates a conflict of interest due to the Shin Bet’s involvement in probes against the officials as “vacuous” and without foundation.

“The prime minister inserted himself into this, he said the indictments ‘are against [the aides], but the purpose is to harm me, it’s a witch hunt,'” says Amit.

Amir responds by saying that Bar’s involvement in a subsequent investigation into alleged work for Qatar by Netanyahu’s aides was itself a conflict of interest for the Shin Bet chief since he knew he was about to be fired.

“This cries out to the heavens,” he says.