Israel’s Supreme Court hears petitions against dismissal of Shin Bet chief

By Abdel Raouf Arnaout and Betul Yilmaz

JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL (AA) – Israel’s Supreme Court on Tuesday started hearing petitions opposing the dismissal of Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar by the government.

Last month, the Israeli government unanimously agreed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposal to dismiss Bar, making it the first such decision in Israel's history, despite protests from thousands of Israeli citizens.

The Supreme Court has frozen the dismissal to review petitions filed by opposition parties.

According to the Israeli daily Haaretz, the court will hear eight petitions, and the session is being live streamed upon some requests from Israeli citizens.

“This is an unprecedented government decision in the history of the country,” Chief Justice Isaac Amit said at the start of the session.

The petitions cite a conflict of interest in Netanyahu’s decision to dismiss Bar, who has been heading a committee that investigates the Israeli premier’s aides.

Opponents of Bar’s dismissal argue that the government needs to obtain approval from the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee for the Shin Bet chief’s dismissal.

In March, the Israeli government withdrew confidence from Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara in another move against the judiciary by Netanyahu and his ruling coalition.

Last week, Netanyahu announced the appointment of former Navy Commander Eli Sharvit as the new Shin Bet chief but later retracted the decision amid criticism within his government following revelations that Sharvit had participated in protests against the government in early 2023.

Bar’s dismissal came as Israel continued its deadly onslaught on the Gaza Strip, where more than 50,800 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.