Netanyahu’s office says High Court ruling on Bar ‘puzzling,’ amid calls to ignore it
Statement does not clarify whether PM will comply with court’s order that Shin Bet chief remain in his post for now, as ministers condemn ruling as ‘illegal’ and undemocratic
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Tuesday that the High Court’s interim order keeping Shin Bet chief in his position for now, despite the cabinet’s vote to fire him last month, was “puzzling” — but did not state whether the premier would comply with the order, as members of his government called it illegitimate.
The court told the government that it cannot take any action to remove Bar from office — including declaring a replacement — while the interim injunction remains in place, giving it until April 20 to find a compromise with the attorney general
The government was ordered not to impede Bar’s authorities as Shin Bet chief or change the working relationship between the government and the domestic security agency, though interviews for a replacement can still be conducted.
In a statement released from Netanyahu’s Wing of Zion plane, the Prime Minister’s Office noted that the judges affirmed the government’s authority, in principle, to remove the head of the Shin Bet.
“Therefore, the High Court’s decision to postpone the end of the Shin Bet’s term by ten days is puzzling,” said the Prime Minister’s Office.
Netanyahu’s office disputed the judges’ position that Bar should have been given a hearing, arguing that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara did not demand that the police commissioner be given a hearing when National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir asked to dismiss him.
The Prime Minister’s Office accused Baharav-Miara, whom the government is also trying to fire, of being motivated by a desire to prevent Bar’s dismissal, using the ongoing investigation by Bar into the so-called “Qatargate” scandal in Netanyahu’s office as a pretext.
“It is unthinkable that the Israeli government would be prevented from removing a failed Shin Bet head from office simply because an investigation has been opened that is not related to any of the government ministers,” declared the premier’s office, saying the precedent would allow the agency’s director to open up an investigation to forestall his own dismissal.
Netanyahu will continue interviewing candidates to replace Bar, the statement added.
‘No!’
The ambiguous statement from Netanyahu came as government ministers issued strident comments on the temporary court order, calling it illegitimate and suggesting the government ignore it.
“No!” wrote Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi on X, in response to a news report on the High Court order.
“The government has to obey the law! An obligation of loyalty to the State of Israel and its laws (!) not to an illegal order with no authority,” he wrote.
“The ‘creative solution’ is very simple: Ronen Bar will end his term on April 10, that’s our obligation,” Karhi said.
“What is democratic about the absolute rule of Isaac Amit????” he added, referring to the Supreme Court president.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote on X that as far as he was concerned, Bar “will be the head of the Shin Bet in name and in salary, by virtue of the High Court’s interim order. That, and nothing more.”
Smotrich called on Netanyahu “not to summon him [Bar] to discussions, nor to work with him.”
The finance minister also urged the prime minister not to enter any negotiations with the attorney general to reach a compromise as the judges encouraged the sides to do.
Smotrich noted the government’s responsibility for Israel’s security, stating, “the arrogance of the judges must not tie our hands in a time of war.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said in a statement that “the ongoing erosion of the authority of an elected, democratic regime, by an unelected body, without checks and balances, that bestows on itself powers totally contrary to the law, should worry anyone who fears for democracy.
“There is no choice but to return to judicial reform soon,” he added.
The government’s effort to overhaul the judiciary was met with enormous opposition throughout 2023, and some have cited the division it caused as a reason for the country’s failure to prevent and respond to the October 7, 2023, deadly Hamas invasion that started the ongoing war.
In recent months, the government has revived parts of the overhaul, including passing a law last month changing how the state ombudsman for judges is chosen.
Opposition urges all adhere to court’s ruling
Members of the opposition on Tuesday urged the government to obey the High Court’s temporary injunction, and condemned suggestions that the government defy it.
“They have to obey the court ruling,” tweeted National Unity head Benny Gantz, adding that “not allowing the head of the Shin Bet into discussions and ‘boycotting him’ is playing with lives.”
Yair Golan, head of the left-wing Democrats, also warned the government against trying to evade the ruling.
“Any attempt to evade the High Court will be met by an unprecedented civil struggle by the determined democratic majority,” Golan wrote on X. “A government that does not obey the law cannot remain in office for a single day more.”
The Times of Israel Community.