Opposition parties, NGOs petition High Court to intervene in Shin Bet chief’s firing
Lawmakers and several civil society groups allege ‘ulterior motives’ amid probe into Netanyahu aides’ ties to Qatar, pressure for state commission of inquiry into Oct. 7
Opposition parties and several civil society organizations petitioned the High Court of Justice on Friday, requesting that justices intervene hours after the government voted to fire Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar.
One petition, filed by the Yesh Atid, National Unity, Yisrael Beytenu, and The Democrats parties, said the decision to fire Bar “was made despite a conflict of interest on the part of the prime minister, with ulterior motives.”
The petition cited the Shin Bet’s ongoing investigation into ties between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s aides and the Qatari government; the security agency’s contention that government policies, including the facilitation of Qatari payments to the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, paved the way for the October 7, 2023 Hamas onslaught; and the government’s refusal to establish a state commission of inquiry into the failures surrounding the attack.
A separate petition was filed overnight by the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, together with the “Protective Walls of Israel” Forum.
“While the country is in the midst of a war and the hostages are still in Hamas tunnels, the Netanyahu government has decided to dismiss Shin Bet head Ronen Bar in a process unprecedented in its severity and illegality,” the Movement said in a statement, calling the decision “not accidental,” and noting the investigation into so-called “Qatar-gate.”
The group called for “an urgent injunction that will freeze the decision until the petition is ruled on, as well as a conditional order that will require the government and the prime minister to explain why the dismissal of the head of the Shin Bet will not be overturned.”
Eliad Shraga, the group’s chairman, said in the statement, “A prime minister who ousts the head of the Shin Bet while his associates are being investigated by the agency on suspicion of serious security offenses is an unthinkable situation in a democratic country.” He also called the move part of a “systematic campaign” to harm Israeli democracy’s “gatekeepers.”
A petition was also filed by the Movement for Integrity in Government, making the same claims.
Shin Bet chief’s firing is first in Israeli history
Netanyahu’s cabinet voted unanimously in the early hours of Friday morning to dismiss Bar, marking the first time in Israeli history that the government has fired the head of the domestic security agency.
Bar’s final day will be April 10, with the government moving up his dismissal after initially scheduling it for April 20, though Netanyahu’s office said Bar could be gone before then if ministers approve a permanent replacement.
Netanyahu told the cabinet in a meeting that started late Thursday night that he had lost trust in Bar after the October 7 attack, calling him “soft” and “not the right person to rehabilitate the organization.”
The move came as the Shin Bet, under order from Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, whom the government is also trying to fire, investigates so-called “Qatar-gate,” in which several close aides of Netanyahu allegedly took payments from the Hamas-friendly Gulf state in exchange for public relations work, while also in the employ of the prime minister’s office.
As ministers deliberated overnight, the Shin Bet circulated a letter Bar sent to the cabinet that made the same accusations, broadly, as the petitions filed to the court on Friday. In it, the ousted security chief called for a state commission of inquiry into the failures surrounding October 7, echoing comments he has reportedly made in the past in private forums.
Netanyahu has steadfastly refused to establish a state commission of inquiry, saying any such probes must be conducted only after the war and claiming that the public would dismiss a state commission’s findings as politicized, despite polls showing majority support for one.
Lazar Berman contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.