Israeli Supreme Court Issues Temporary Injunction to Prevent Dismissal of Symbolic Leader

The Israeli High Court issued a temporary restraining order on Friday (March 21) to prevent the government from removing the head of the Shin Bet national security agency. The Attorney General of Israel subsequently notified Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to forbid the government from appointing a new leader of the Shin Bet.

The Israeli cabinet voted early Friday to dismiss Ronen Bar, the head of the domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet, citing a lack of trust. However, the Israeli High Court issued a temporary restraining order on Friday morning, ordering the government to temporarily suspend the decision to allow time for the court to hold a hearing on the petitions against this decision. The hearing is scheduled to take place no later than April 8.

The main dispute between Netanyahu and Bar revolves around who should be held accountable for the intelligence failure during the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which triggered over a year-long conflict in Gaza. The two Israeli leaders have been blaming each other, and these disagreements have recently escalated, leading Netanyahu to express his loss of trust in Bar, who has led the Shin Bet since 2021, and requested government approval to dismiss him earlier this week.

Bar did not attend the cabinet meeting held late Thursday night into Friday morning, however, he wrote to cabinet members stating that his dismissal process did not comply with regulations and was based on unfounded accusations.

Following the cabinet meeting, the decision to dismiss Bar was ultimately approved, effective from April 10. This marks the first time in Israeli history that a Shin Bet leader has been dismissed before the end of their term.

Netanyahu’s proposal to dismiss Bar had sparked protests for three consecutive days. After the decision on Friday, opposition leaders and some non-governmental organizations in Israel immediately filed petitions against the dismissal with the Israeli High Court.

After the High Court ordered a freeze on the decision, Israeli Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara announced on Friday that, given the court’s injunction issued earlier that day, she would prohibit the prime minister from appointing a new head of the national security agency and even conducting interviews for the position.

In a letter to Netanyahu, Baharav-Miara stated that her directive also includes prohibiting the appointment of an interim head of the Shin Bet. Although Baharav-Miara did not specify a timetable, her instructions may remain valid until the High Court makes a final ruling on the matter.

The Attorney General also added that during this period, considering potential conflicts of interest, Netanyahu’s involvement in appointing a new Shin Bet leader would be under scrutiny.

Baharav-Miara is also one of the agency leaders that the Netanyahu government is seeking to dismiss.