Israel’s High Court of Justice issued an interim injunction on Tuesday barring the government from ousting Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar until at least April 20, giving officials time to negotiate a resolution to the legal dispute over his controversial dismissal.
The court ordered the government to refrain from taking any steps to remove Bar from office, including naming a successor, and prohibited interference with his authority as head of the domestic security agency. However, it permitted the government to continue interviewing potential replacements.
The decision followed an 11-hour hearing on petitions challenging last month’s unprecedented vote to fire Bar. Proceedings were briefly suspended after Likud MK Tally Gotliv and other protesters disrupted the courtroom, prompting judges to order their removal.
Throughout the hearing, the three-judge panel—led by Supreme Court President Isaac Amit and including Justices Noam Sohlberg and Daphne Barak-Erez—voiced skepticism about procedural flaws in Bar’s dismissal. Amit noted that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara had rightly advised the government to consult a key advisory committee before terminating the security chief.
By the hearing’s end, Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs and representatives from the Attorney General’s Office signaled openness to dialogue. Justice Sohlberg had earlier suggested referring the matter to the advisory committee for senior civil service appointments.
The case has broader implications, reflecting the government’s ongoing clashes with judicial authorities over checks on executive power. Petitioners—including civil society groups and opposition parties—argue that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a conflict of interest in firing Bar, given the Shin Bet’s investigation into his close aides. They are accused of conducting unauthorized PR work for Qatar while employed by Netanyahu.
Critics also allege Netanyahu seeks to shift blame for Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack onto Bar while avoiding accountability. The prime minister has defended the dismissal, citing legal authority and the Shin Bet’s security failures. He has further claimed, without evidence, that the "Qatargate" probe is part of a "deep state" effort to undermine him.
Netanyahu called the court’s 10-day delay "puzzling," while Bar dismissed the accusations against him as "unsubstantiated" and politically motivated.
The hearing was marked by protests inside and outside the courtroom, forcing a recess after disruptions. When proceedings resumed, the judges barred the public to ensure orderly arguments.
Attorney General Baharav-Miara warned that Bar’s removal risked politicizing the Shin Bet leadership. Bar, appointed in 2021 by Netanyahu’s predecessors, has clashed with the current government over judicial reforms and the handling of the Gaza war.