The Supreme Court in Israel has suspended the government’s decision to dismiss the head of the Shin Bet, the country’s domestic intelligence service.
A judge issued a temporary injunction on Friday, which, according to the court, will remain in place until a hearing on the matter is held. This is to take place by April 8 at the latest.
Several groups, including opposition politicians, had filed petitions with the court against the government’s decision.
Following the court decision, Israel’s attorney general said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cannot name a new internal security chief.
“According to the decision of the Supreme Court, it is prohibited to take any action that harms the position of the head of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar,” Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara said in a message to Netanyahu published by a spokesperson.
“It is prohibited to appoint a new head of Shin Bet, and interviews for the position should not be held.”
In a post on X, Netanyahu insisted it was up to the government to decide who heads the domestic security agency.
“There will be no civil war! The State of Israel is a state of law, and according to the law, the government of Israel decides who will be the head of the Shin Bet,” Netanyahu said.
Israel’s cabinet had approved the sacking of Ronen Bar early on Friday after Netanyahu said he would bring a vote on the spy chief’s dismissal due to “ongoing distrust” of the security official, triggering mass anti-government protests in Israel.
The prime minister’s office had announced that Bar would step down on April 8 unless a successor is appointed before then.
Bar, who has led the internal security service since 2021, declined to attend the cabinet meeting about his position. In a letter circulated by the Shin Bet, Bar accused the government of being motivated by “improper considerations” and “personal and institutional conflicts of interest of the highest order”.
Netanyahu and Bar have been at loggerheads for months amid tensions over a bribery investigation focused on the prime minister’s office and recriminations over the failure to prevent the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel.
Bar said in his letter that his ouster was motivated by a desire to halt the “pursuit of truth” about the events leading up to October 7.
The Shin Bet this month released a report that acknowledged it should have thwarted the Hamas-led assault while criticising Netanyahu for helping to create the conditions for the attacks.
On Thursday, police fired water cannon and made at least 12 arrests during clashes with demonstrators in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
