Israel's top court freezes dismissal of Shin Bet chief 'until another decision'

The order followed an over 10-hour hearing on petitions filed by opposition factions and other organisations against the government's March 21 decision to dismiss Bar due to "a lack of trust," Xinhua news agency reported quoting state-owned Kan TV News.

As part of the decision, the court also ordered the government not to advance any move regarding ending Bar's tenure, including announcing a replacement or acting head, and that his power should not be impaired.

The court also ruled that the government and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara may submit a joint statement on a settlement, if reached, by April 20.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement that the court's decision is "puzzling" because the judges have reiterated several times that the government's authority to remove the Shin Bet chief from office is not in dispute. It added that Netanyahu would continue interviewing candidates for the position.

The statement accused Baharav-Miara of trying to prevent Bar's dismissal in any way possible under the pretext of "an active investigation" initiated by Bar.

On Friday, Baharav-Miara cautioned that the dismissal was fundamentally flawed and tainted by Netanyahu's personal conflicts of interest, which include an ongoing criminal investigation against his associates. The attorney general referred to a case known as "Qatar-Gate," which involves an inquiry into alleged undisclosed contacts between Netanyahu's two close aides and Qatari officials.

On the same day, Bar wrote to the court that Netanyahu had repeatedly required him to issue an opinion citing security concerns to prevent Netanyahu's continuous court testimony, a request Bar rejected.

He emphasised that the Shin Bet chief should not be "a position of trust" or a personal confidant of the prime minister but must maintain professional independence, warning against the possibility that the Shin Bet would become a secret police.

Tensions between Netanyahu and the Shin Bet have been growing over the handling of events before and during Israel's multi-front conflicts with regional factions that erupted in October 2023 and the "Qatar-Gate" investigation.