Netanyahu calls petitions against Ronen Bar firing ‘nonsense’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government on Sunday dismissed appeals against the firing of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar as “nonsense”, claiming his continued service would cause “irreparable harm to state security”.

Netanyahu’s government further argued, in their response to the High Court of Justice, that the appeals lacked legal foundation and factual merit. 

The government added that “the Shin Bet chief’s tenure was terminated by a government decision due to a loss of confidence in him. As such, the door is closed to his continued service, and he must step down”, urging the court to reject the petitions “immediately”.

The government’s response was submitted by attorney Zion Amir, appointed as independent counsel after Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who normally represents the government, opposed Bar’s dismissal.

“Forcing Bar to remain in office as Shin Bet chief is unreasonable and inconsistent with the powers granted to a democratically elected government responsible for the security of the state and its citizens. Every additional day or night in this situation could cause irreversible damage to the security of the state, its citizens, and its soldiers. Hence, the urgent need to implement the decision,” Amir stated.

In a response sent by the Attorney General to the Supreme Court two days earlier, Baharav-Miara stated that the government’s dismissal of Bar was “flawed and involved a personal conflict of interest on the part of the Prime Minister, due to ongoing criminal investigations involving his close associates”.

She argued that “the dismissal has serious implications for the independence of the Shin Bet and its future function, and sets a dangerous precedent allowing the removal of security agency heads mid-term for non-objective reasons”. 

According to Bar’s revelations in a letter submitted to the petition filed to the court, Netanyahu requested that the then Shin Bet give him a “security opinion” stating that the prime minister could not testify in court for his corruption trials due to the security situation.

Bar noted that this request came “at the beginning of the allegations of mistrust”, emphasising that “the head of the Shin Bet is neither a ‘loyalist employee’ nor a ‘personal servant’ of the Prime Minister or any political entity”. 

Bar says that the relationship between him and Netanyahu began to sour due to the agency’s investigations into government failings during the surprise Hamas attack on 7 October, 2023, as well as probes into allegations of corruption against Netanyahu.

The former Shin Bet leader also accused Netanyahu of trying to turn the Israeli internal security agency into his own personal “secret police”, such as by requesting that Bar force cabinet ministers to undergo polygraphs relating to whether they leaked information to the media. 

In the letter, Bar also further implies that he was asked by Netanyahu to use the internal security service’s tools against Israeli citizens but refused, claiming that the agency was asked to act against Israelis who were protesting against Netanyahu’s judicial coup.

Bar said his refusal to accede to Netanyahu’s request was the reason for the breakdown in trust between the two, leading to his eventual dismissal. 

The Netanyahu government has said the court is not the right place to determine who heads the Shin Bet, a power that is reserved for the prime minister and the cabinet. They further claim this extends to the removal of Bar or any other head of the agency. 

Those petitioning against Netanyahu’s move agree, but say that such decisions must be subject to judicial oversight.