Israeli government approves Benjamin Netanyahu's firing of Shin Bet intelligence chief

Prime Minister said there was an 'ongoing lack of trust' in Ronen Bar

Ronen Bar will conclude his duties on April 10 or when a permanent director is appointed, Israel said. AFP

The Israeli government approved early on Friday a proposal by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to dismiss Ronen Bar, the head of the country's domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet.

"The government unanimously approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposal to end ISA director Ronen Bar's term of office," the Prime Minister's office said.

"Ronen Bar will conclude his duties on April 10 or when a permanent ISA director is appointed – whichever comes first."

Israel's Supreme Court issued an injunction temporarily freezing Mr Bar's dismissal after opposition parties filed a petition against the move. The court will issue a decision no later than April 8, according to a statement on its website.

The petition argued that the dismissal raised a possible conflict of interest as Shin Bet was currently investigating members of the prime minister's staff, opposition leader Yair Lapid said on X.

Mr Netanyahu said on Sunday that there was an "ongoing lack of trust" in Mr Bar, whose roles include counter-terrorism and security for government officials.

Mr Bar, who was meant to end his tenure next year, was appointed Shin Bet chief in October 2021 by the previous Israeli government that briefly forced Mr Netanyahu from power between June 2021 and December 2022.

His relations with Mr Netanyahu were strained even before the war in Gaza, notably over proposed judicial reforms that split the country.

Relations worsened after the March 4 release of an internal report by Shin Bet on the Hamas attack of October 2023.

The report acknowledged the agency's own failure in preventing the attack, but also said "a policy of quiet had enabled Hamas to undergo massive military build-up".

Mr Bar had already hinted that he would resign before the end of his term, taking responsibility for his agency's failure to prevent the attack.

But his dismissal has provoked the anger of Israel's political opposition and led to demonstrations accusing Mr Netanyahu of threatening democracy.

Several thousand people braved bad weather late on Thursday to demonstrate outside Mr Netanyahu's private residence in Jerusalem and then the Israeli parliament, where ministers were meeting.

In a letter made public on Thursday, Mr Bar said Mr Netanyahu's arguments were "general, unsubstantiated accusations that seem to hide the motivations behind the decision".

He said the real motives were based on "personal interest" and intended to "prevent investigations into the events leading up to October 7 and other serious matters" being looked at by Shin Bet.

Mr Bar's dismissal comes after the Israeli army launched a series of massive and deadly bombardments in Gaza on Tuesday following the end of a two-month truce with Hamas.

Mr Netanyahu said the operations were intended to put pressure on Hamas to release the 58 hostages remaining in the territory.

In rare criticism of Mr Netanyahu, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said on Thursday that he was worried the resumption of strikes in a time of crisis could undermine "national resilience".