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The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld its decision to temporarily suspend the firing of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar by the government. The ruling came in response to appeals made to the court, including by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. The judges also said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be allowed to interview candidates who would potentially replace Bar at the head of the security agency.
The government voted to oust Bar last week after Netanyahu said he had lost confidence in the senior security official. The ministers also decided to fire the AG, prompting mass protests
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Protesters march in Jerusalem against the sacking of the AG
(Photo: Alex Kolomoisky )
Netanyahu's decision to fire Bar came after the Shin Bet released the findings of its inquiries into the failings that led to the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre. In the findings, the Shin Bet said Netanyahu ignored warnings that Hamas was building its military capabilities using the funding it received from Qatar, at Israel's urging.
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Bar was also investigating Netanyahu's close aids at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) who were suspected of working for the Qatari regime.
Netanyahu said the investigation was politically motivated and the work of the "deep state" and that Bar was attempting to remove a democratically elected right-wing government.
In his latest appeal to the court, the prime minister said the dismissal of the Shin Bet chief would not proceed without the court's final ruling on the matter.