The government canceled on Tuesday its March 20 decision to fire Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief Ronen Bar, putting to bed a fierce legal battle between the government, the Attorney-General’s Office, and various petitioners.
The unprecedented decision that plunged Israeli society into yet another painful civil schism was slightly settled when Bar announced late Monday night that he would step down on June 15. He made the comments at a memorial event for fallen Shin Bet personnel at the agency’s headquarters.
The government requested on Tuesday from the High Court to cancel the petitions and orders issued in the case. The court gave both sides until May 7 to respond.
Bar said on Monday, “After 35 years of service, to allow for an orderly process of appointing a permanent successor and ensuring a proper handover, I will conclude my role on June 15, 2025.” He added that he chose to announce the end of his term “on an evening that symbolizes remembrance, heroism, and sacrifice.”
Bar stated that it was incumbent on every public servant who “failed to provide a blanket of security” on October 7 to “bow their heads humbly before the murdered, the fallen, the wounded, the hostages, and their families, and act accordingly. All of us.
Bar called for protections for next Shin Bet chief
“My love for the homeland and loyalty to the state have been the foundation of every decision I have made throughout my professional life – and so it is this evening as well,” he said.
Bar was appointed to the position on October 11, 2021, for a period of five years. When the government fired him, it set the resignation date as April 10.
On April 8, two days to the deadline, the High Court of Justice heard arguments in a hearing from all sides, and issued an interim order until after the Passover holiday, creating a window of opportunity for dialogue.
In that time, both Bar and the government submitted scathing affidavits arguing their sides and reasoning for their positions.
The government argued that a “lack of trust” between the government and Bar necessitated the dismissal, and that the intelligence chief should have resigned after the agency’s probe into the October 7 massacre was finalized, as former IDF chief of staff Lt.-Gen. (ret.) Herzi Halevi had done.
The Attorney-General’s Office argued that the dismissal was not done according to procedure, while petitioners argued that the move was done for political reasons, not professional ones, and was tied to the agency’s investigations into two potentially damning cases concerning figures close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: The leaked documents case, and the “Qatargate” case.
Bar added in his resignation speech that Israel must allow for institutional protections that would allow the next Shin Bet chiefs to properly fulfil their role, adding that the country “must draw a clear line between trust and loyalty.” This point, about ensuring independence for his successors, is consistent with the intentions laid out in his affidavit.
He said the legal fight wasn’t about him on a personal level, but about the “future independence of Shin Bet chiefs.”
The Attorney-General’s Office, which ordinarily would represent the government as its office of legal advisory, vehemently opposed the move, calling it inconsistent with proper procedure.
Movement for Quality government, one of the leading petitioners in the case, said that the act of firing bar was “a cynical trick designed to avoid a High Court order on essential matters,” referring to the law granting the government power to high the intelligence chief.
“We won't let Netanyahu get away with this. The embarrassing and wrong firing process, the bad faith in doing it when the Shin Bet is investigating "Qatargate" and the continued condensation to the rule of law demand such an intervention, one that will set straight the relationship between the government and the Shin Bet, and ensure independence to the next chief,” it added.
It said it would appeal to the court to grant such a decision “that would protect civilians and democracy.”