Israeli government reverses dismissal of Shin Bet chief to avoid legal precedent

The Israeli government yesterday reversed its decision to dismiss Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar, in a move that appeared to be aimed at pre-empting a potentially precedent-setting High Court ruling on petitions challenging Bar’s ouster. The decision came one day after Bar announced that he will step down on 15 June.

Now that the government has reversed its decision to dismiss Bar, it is unclear what the court will decide with regard to his case.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on 20 March that he was dismissing Bar, citing his loss of confidence in the security official.

However, Bar contested the dismissal decision and filed a lawsuit before Israel’s High Court in which he accused Netanyahu of demanding personal loyalty and ordering him to spy on anti-government protesters. Bar’s case was supported by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and opposition leaders.

On Sunday, Netanyahu filed an affidavit of his own to the court calling Bar a “liar”.

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