Head of Israeli Shin Bet plans to resign soon amid dismissal
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The Chief of the Israeli Shin Bet's announcement comes as the legal battle over his dismissal continues, where he was bashed by a deceased soldier's family, labeling him responsible for their son's death.
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Mossad intelligence agency chief David Barnea, front right, and Ronen Bar, second left, chief of Israel's domestic Shin Bet security agency, attend a ceremony marking Memorial Day for fallen soldiers, Al Quds, May 13, 2024. (AP)
The Chief of "Israel's" Shin Bet intelligence agency, Ronen Bar, announced on Monday his intention to resign within the coming weeks amid the chaos caused by the Israeli government's decision to dismiss him, citing "lack of trust".
The family of a killed Israeli soldier reportedly bashed the ousted Shin Bet chief during a Supreme Court session that was looking into his dismissal, saying that he has "the blood of Israeli soldiers on his hands, according to i24 News' Knesset correspondent Amiel Yerachi.
Bar announced his intention to resign shortly after.
According to the channel, the Israeli government must submit a letter of intent to the court next week regarding its decision to dismiss Bar, and Bar is required to respond with his written arguments, after which the Supreme Court will have to decide whether he can be dismissed immediately or if the dismissal should be postponed.
It is worth noting that on the Israeli occupation’s Supreme Court temporarily ruled to keep Bar in his position "until a contrary decision is made," a ruling that, on the one hand, prevents occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from announcing a successor for the Shin Bet chief and, on the other, allows Bar to continue participating in security discussions.
Court temporarily blocks Shin Bet chief's removal
Last month, Netanyahu announced that his government had unanimously approved Bar's dismissal citing 'lack of trust' while ordering him to vacate his position by April 10.
"Since we saw some sparks of willingness here... we are giving you until after Passover (which ends on April 19) to try to reach some kind of creative solution that is agreed upon" by both sides, Head of the Supreme Court Yitzhak Amit announced.
Bar was to end his role as head of the Shin Bet on April 10, 2025, or when a permanent Shin Bet head is appointed – whichever comes first, a government statement said on March 21.
This prompted the Israeli Supreme Court to freeze the decision and state that “Petitions shall be scheduled for a hearing before the panel (of judges) as soon as possible and no later than April 8," just hours after the decision was announced.
Tensions have risen between Netanyahu and the Shin Bet following the agency’s internal investigation into the October 7, 2023 events. Netanyahu dismissed the investigation’s conclusions, stating they didn’t address key questions.
