Israeli opposition parties petition High Court to intervene in Shin Bet chief’s dismissal

Israeli opposition parties Yesh Atid, National Unity, Yisrael Beytenu, and the Democrats have petitioned the High Court of Justice to block the dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid said on X that the petition argues Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision is a conflict of interest, as the Shin Bet is investigating alleged improper ties between Prime Minister’s Office staff and Qatar.

The petition also says Bar was fired only after a probe into failures surrounding the 7 October Hamas attack pointed to political leadership responsibility.

Earlier today, the Movement for Quality Government in Israel also filed a petition against Bar’s dismissal.