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IDF Spokesperson/TPS-IL on 18 March, 2025
Israeli High Court Rejects Petition to Block Security Chief’s Dismissal
Jerusalem, 18 March, 2025 (TPS-IL) -- Israel’s High Court of Justice rejected a legal petition seeking to prevent the government from firing Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) director Ronen Bar on Tuesday.
The three-justice panel ruled that the petition was “premature” and that the conditions for it have not yet played out. The ruling further implied that the government has the authority to fire Bar.
“In our case, a decision has not yet been made by the government, which is the body authorized to ‘terminate the service head’s term before the end of his term,'” the three-page ruling said.
“At the government meeting that will be convened to discuss this issue, the Legal Advisor to the Government will be able to present to the members of the government the full range of legal considerations necessary for making their decision, and it is not inconceivable that after her position is heard – no decision will be made, or a different decision will be made.”
The ruling added, “The petitioners must wait for a final decision from the government, which is the authorized body, and only then can the path be opened for them to submit the decision for judicial review.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu notified Bar on Sunday that the Cabinet would vote to fire him in the coming days. The move drew praise from the governing coalition and outrage from the opposition.
After the meeting, Netanyahu said in a video statement, “At all times, but especially during an existential war such as the one we face, there must be full trust between the prime minister and the head of the Shin Bet. But unfortunately, the situation is the opposite — I do not have such trust. I have ongoing distrust in the head of the Shin Bet, a distrust that has grown over time.”
But Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara said Netanyahu did not have the authority to dismiss Bar without a legal review.
Further stoking the tensions, Bar initially released a statement saying Netanyahu did not listen to the Shin Bet’s warnings ahead of Hamas’s October 7 attack.
The opposition is planning mass demonstration in Jerusalem in protest for Wednesday.
The Shin Bet’s internal investigation, said Bar, “pointed to a policy that was led for years, with an emphasis on the year preceding the massacre, by the government and its leader. The investigation reveals a long and deliberate disregard by the political echelon for the organization’s warnings.”
Bar’s statement also said, “The Prime Minister’s expectation of a personal duty of trust whose purpose contradicts the public interest is a fundamentally wrong expectation that is contrary to the Shin Bet Law and contrary to the value of statehood that guides the General Security Service and its personnel.”
The Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic intelligence service, is responsible for counterterrorism, counterintelligence, internal security, VIP protection, and cybersecurity. No Shin Bet director has ever been fired before the end of his five-year term.
The only Shin Bet director to ever resign was Carmi Gillon in the aftermath of the 1995 assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
At least 1,180 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 59 remaining hostages, 36 are believed to be dead.
