JERUSALEM – The main opposition factions of the Israeli parliament filed a petition with the High Court of Justice on Friday following the Israeli government’s unanimous decision to dismiss Ronen Bar, chief of Israel’s internal security service Shin Bet.
In the petition, four factions — Yesh Atid, National Unity, Yisrael Beiteinu, and the Democrats — requested an order to overturn Bar’s dismissal.
The petition claimed that the “hasty initiation of the dismissal” was taken with a severe conflict of interest by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, based on extraneous considerations, related to Shin Bet’s investigation into Netanyahu’s office, which “clearly indicated the responsibility of the political echelon for the October 7 disaster.”
“These things take on added significance as the prime minister prevents the setup of a state commission of inquiry, and the entire government is openly and knowingly delaying a move that could examine its responsibility for the disaster,” read the petition.
Netanyahu’s office said in a statement early Friday morning that the Israeli government has unanimously approved Bar’s dismissal.
Bar’s last day in office is set for April 10, earlier than the initially planned April 20, though he may leave sooner if a replacement is confirmed.
Israeli media said this is the first time in Israel’s history that a Shin Bet head has been removed by the government. The meeting to finalize his dismissal lasted about three and a half hours.
Bar was not present at the meeting but sent a letter condemning the move as being “entirely tainted by conflicts of interest” and a “fundamentally invalid” attempt to obstruct the Shin Bet’s investigation into Qatar’s influence on Netanyahu’s office, local media reported. He referred to an inquiry into ties between Netanyahu’s close aides and the Qatari government. Qatar has played a key role in mediating between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of Israeli hostages. However, Qatar and Israel currently do not have formal diplomatic relations.
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