High Court rules Netanyahu can begin interviewing for new Shin Bet chief, but upholds temporary freeze on Ronen Bar's dismissal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will begin interviewing candidates for the head of the Shin Bet on Wednesday, according to a spokesman from his office.

The interviews follow the unprecedented move by the Israeli cabinet last week in which they unanimously voted to dismiss the head of Israel’s internal security service.

On Tuesday, the High Court ruled that Netanyahu could begin speaking to potential replacements for current Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, but simultaneously upheld the injunction issued on Friday to put a freeze on his dismissal until further legal review.

The ruling was seen as a rebuke to Israeli Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who had instructed the government not to interview new candidates until court proceedings had ended.

The ousting of Bar, the first-ever dismissal of a Shin Bet director in Israeli history, sparked waves of protests throughout the country from critics who see it as a power grab by Netanyahu.

Supporters of Bar's dismissal, however, say it is a crucial step in restoring confidence in the leadership of Israel's national security.

Netanyahu said the decision to remove Bar was due to a lack of trust in his leadership following the Hamas invasion and attack on Israel’s southern border on Oct. 7, 2023, as well as Bar's alleged inaction that compromised national security.

In February, Netanyahu also removed Bar from the hostage negotiations team, replacing him with Strategic Affairs Advisor Ron Dermer, whom he also appointed head of the team. Shortly after the replacement, a source in Netanyahu’s office claimed that the anonymous leaks of negotiation details by “a security official” had ceased. 

Bar and his supporters claim that his dismissal is a politically motivated act aimed at restraining an investigation into the prime minister's inner circle.

The High Court’s freeze on Bar’s firing came after Attorney General Baharav-Miara filed a petition arguing that Netanyahu did not have the legal authority to dismiss the Shin Bet head without clear evidence of misconduct or a larger consensus.

The judiciary and executive branch of the government will go head-to-head in a hearing scheduled for early April to decide whether the cabinet’s decision violates Israeli law. According to some legal experts, the case could redefine the balance of power between Israel’s judicial and legislative branches.

Under Bar’s leadership, the Shin Bet has been conducting a controversial investigation into whether Netanyahu’s advisors facilitated the transfer of millions of Qatari dollars to influence public opinion during the Israeli-Hamas war.

Netanyahu claims the Qatargate investigation was launched to stop the firing of Bar.

An anonymous Israeli official initiated a counterattack against Bar, accusing him of negligence before Oct. 7.

“Why, after you knew about the Hamas attack many hours before it happened, did you do nothing and did not call the Prime Minister-something that would have prevented the disaster?” the official charged.

Bar denied the allegations, citing Shin Bet sources that intelligence warnings were shared with political leaders before Oct. 7, though the exact timeline remains disputed.  

Two Shin Bet veterans are reportedly being considered by Netanyahu as potential replacements for Bar, both are said to share the prime minister’s hardline security stance.

However, the High Court’s ruling prevents the new appointment until the legal process is completed, leaving Israel’s internal security agency in limbo at a time when the nation continues to face ongoing threats from Hamas, Hezbollah, and other regional Iranian terror proxies.