A three-judge panel of the Israeli Supreme Court convened on Tuesday to hear the petitions against the dismissal of Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) Director Ronen Bar. Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit will lead the panel and will be flanked by Justices Noam Sohlberg and Dafna Barak-Erez.
Eight petitions were submitted against Bar's firing by the "Commanders for Israel's Security" organization, the Movement for Quality Government, and Knesset members from the opposition, among others. The petitioners claim the dismissal was done illegally and is severely flawed.
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara supports the petitioners. Baharav-Miara chose not to represent the government in the Supreme Court and submitted an independent position in which she wrote that the decision to fire Bar is tainted with the Prime Minister's personal conflict of interest because of the current Shin Bet investigation into his aids.
The Prime Minister and the government replied that there is no connection between Bar's dismissal and the Shin Bet investigation. The official response to the petition notes that the decision stems from a deep loss in confidence and security considerations. "Bar's continued tenure would lead to irreparable damage to state security. The Supreme Court's intervention in such a decision violates the principle of separation of powers."
The Supreme Court will have to decide what to do with the interim measure it passed, freezing the dismissal until a different ruling is passed.