Daijiworld Media Network - Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv, Apr 5: Israel’s Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has called on the country’s High Court of Justice to overturn the government’s decision to remove Ronen Bar, head of Israel’s internal security agency Shin Bet, citing serious legal and ethical concerns.
The Israeli cabinet had unanimously voted on March 21 to dismiss Bar, attributing the decision to a "lack of trust" amid growing tensions between Bar and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. However, the High Court temporarily froze the dismissal order until April 8, according to Israel’s Kan TV News.
Responding to court petitions filed by opposition lawmakers, Baharav-Miara described the decision as deeply flawed and influenced by Netanyahu’s personal conflicts of interest. She argued that ongoing criminal investigations involving the prime minister’s close associates cast doubt on the fairness of the move.
The development comes as two of Netanyahu’s aides were recently arrested in the so-called "Qatar-Gate" case, which is probing alleged business ties between Israeli officials and Qatar. One of them, Eli Feldstein—Netanyahu’s former spokesman for military affairs—was previously indicted for leaking classified documents to shape public perception around negotiations with Hamas.
In a rare open letter to the High Court, Ronen Bar said Netanyahu had repeatedly asked him to issue a security-based opinion to delay Netanyahu’s court appearances—requests he refused. Bar warned that the role of Shin Bet chief must remain professionally independent and not become a position beholden to political loyalty.
He cautioned against turning Shin Bet into a political tool, stating, “This dismissal sends a message down the entire chain of command—that losing political favor could cost them their position.”
In response, Netanyahu’s Likud party accused the attorney general and Bar of conspiring to create false legal cases, calling their collaboration "the real conflict of interest."
The court's upcoming decision is expected to have wide-ranging implications for Israel’s internal security leadership and the country’s legal-political landscape.