Israel’s Supreme Court has stepped in to block Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from sacking Ronen Bar, head of the Shin Bet security service, igniting yet another confrontation between the judiciary and the executive.
The Netanyahu cabinet on Thursday approved Bar’s early dismissal, citing his failure to foresee the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 and a broader loss of confidence. Bar’s removal, set for April 10, or upon a successor’s appointment, cuts short his five-year term, which started in October 2021, by 18 months. Yet, on Friday, the Supreme Court issued an injunction, halting the move until a hearing by April 8, leading to outrage from Netanyahu’s camp.
The Government unanimously approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposal to end ISA Director Ronen Bar's term of office.
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) March 21, 2025
Ronen Bar will conclude his duties on 10 April 2025 or when a permanent ISA Director is appointed – whichever comes first.
Netanyahu insists Bar’s removal is critical for Israel’s war aims in Gaza and to prevent future security lapses, a view backed by an internal probe by Shin Bet itself. However, Bar argues the real culprit is Netanyahu’s policies, including provocations by far-right ministers—such as visits to the Al Aqsa compound—that stoked tensions.
Suspicion also swirls around political motives, with Bar’s Qatar-Gate investigation into alleged lobbying by Netanyahu’s allies for Qatar, recently resulting in confessions and arrests. Netanyahu dismissed this as a leftist smear. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has also sided with Bar as she told Netanyahu that his government lacked the power to remove the Shin Bet chief without the authorisation of a special committee. Following the Supreme Court intervention, she informed the prime minister that under the order, he was prohibited from even interviewing new candidates, pointing out a potential conflict of interest.
The Supreme Court’s intervention has sparked a broader clash over governance. Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, from Netanyahu’s Likud party, branded the court’s ruling invalid, claiming it lacks jurisdiction and that Bar’s term ends regardless on April 10 or with a replacement. Yet, the attorney general and Bar himself decry the dismissal as legally invalid and marked by a clear conflict of interest. Bar even warned that it jeopardised Gaza hostage talks.
Public backlash against Netanyahu is mounting. Thousands have protested in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, blocking highways and clashing with police, decrying an assault on democracy. Israel’s Business Forum, representing 200 top firms, and the High-Tech Headquarters, a tech sector powerhouse, have threatened strikes if the government defies the court, warning of a slide into “third world” status that could repel investors.
Forty municipal leaders, including Tel Aviv and Haifa’s mayors, too, backed the judiciary, urging Netanyahu to comply. Amid rising tensions, Netanyahu vows there’ll be no civil war, but the stakes—for law, security, and stability—are undeniably high.
