Watan-Israel’s Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, confirmed on Friday that the government is not permitted to appoint a new head of the Shin Bet (Israel’s internal security agency) at the present time, following the Supreme Court’s decision to freeze the dismissal of current chief Ronen Bar.
The private Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth quoted Baharav-Miara as saying: “The government is prohibited from appointing a new Shin Bet head after the court’s decision to freeze the dismissal.”
She added: “Any step that could harm the standing of the current Shin Bet chief is also forbidden.”
Netanyahu Responds
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that only the government, according to law, has the authority to appoint the head of the Shin Bet.
This marks his first response to the Supreme Court’s freezing of the government’s decision to dismiss Ronen Bar.
Addressing concerns over the potential outbreak of civil war due to his divisive decisions — including Bar’s dismissal — Netanyahu said on X (formerly Twitter): “There will be no civil war. Israel is a country governed by the rule of law.”
He added: “Only the government decides who will head the Shin Bet.”
Earlier on Friday, the Israeli Supreme Court froze the government’s decision to dismiss Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, pending a review of petitions submitted against the dismissal.
Channel 12 reported that the court decided to freeze the dismissal until it reviews the petitions, though it did not specify when the hearings would begin.
Opposition Challenges Dismissal of Shin Bet Chief
On Friday morning, opposition parties — Yesh Atid, National Unity, Yisrael Beiteinu, and the Democrats — jointly submitted a petition, along with organizations like the Movement for Quality Government.
The petitions argue that the dismissal is based on external considerations, including Shin Bet investigations into Netanyahu’s office and a recently published position by the agency blaming the political leadership for the October 7 disaster.
Netanyahu had previously justified Bar’s dismissal by citing a “lack of trust” in him, in the aftermath of the events of October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked 22 settlements and 11 military bases near Gaza, killing and capturing Israelis in retaliation for “the Israeli occupation’s daily crimes against the Palestinian people and their holy sites.”
Bar, however, hinted that there were political motivations behind Netanyahu’s decision, stating that the real reason was his refusal to meet Netanyahu’s demands for “personal loyalty.”
Early Friday, the Israeli government unanimously approved Netanyahu’s proposal to dismiss Ronen Bar — a first-of-its-kind decision in Israel’s history — despite thousands of Israelis protesting the move.
Bar is scheduled to step down on April 10, or when a permanent replacement is appointed — whichever comes first — according to the government’s decision.
In this context, the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz quoted former Shin Bet chief Carmi Gillon, who said during a protest in West Jerusalem on Thursday: “Netanyahu is sacrificing the Shin Bet and the Attorney General on Sunday, and later this week, he will destroy the Supreme Court’s standing.”
He added that this protest might be “the last democratic demonstration in the State of Israel.”
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