Tel Aviv [Israel], March 22 : Israel's High Court of Justice issued a temporary order on Friday, preventing the removal of Shin Bet's chief Ronen Bar, hours after the Cabinet voted overnight to remove him by April 10 at the latest, Times of Israel reported.
As per Times of Israel, the order will remain in place until the court can hear the petitions which have been filed against Bar's dismissal. The court said that it will hear the petitions no later than April 8.
The decision by the court sets up a showdown between the government as Times of Israel reported that the ministers openly vowed to to defy the court and the judicial system which was seen to be backed up by large segments of Israeli civil society. The main labour union and business forum threatened a nationwide strike if the government did not abide by the court order.
After the decision by the High Court was announced, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara instructed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he is prohibited from appointing a new head of the Shin Bet, or even conducting interviews for the job.
In a significant development, the attorney general added that meanwhile, PM Netanyahu's involvement in the process for the appointment of a new chief for Shin Bet will be examined because of "the concern of a conflict of interest."
Times of Israel reported that the Shin Bet is currently conducting a criminal investigation, along with the police, into allegedly unlawful ties between senior aides to Netanyahu and Qatar. The attorney general has suggested that the investigation may mean Netanyahu has a conflict of interest in the hiring and firing of the head of the Shin Bet.
It further reported that PM Netanyahu had also signed a conflict of interest agreement in 2020 prohibiting him from involvement in the appointment of judges and senior law enforcement officials due to his ongoing criminal trial on corruption charges. The head of the Shin Bet would appear to be among those officials included in that agreement.
Times of Israel Netanyahu responded to the injunction and to Baharav-Miara by posting on X that "The State of Israel is a country of law and according to the law, the Israeli government decides who will be the head of the Shin Bet."
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