The announcement comes amid a legal battle over the government’s decision to fire the top security official last month.
Israel’s domestic security chief Ronen Bar has said he would stand down on June 15, following weeks of boiling tensions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who cited a lack of trust as he attempted to fire Bar in a move that sparked mass protests.
The two men have publicly traded accusations and counteraccusations. Political turmoil ensued, but Netanyahu’s survival tactics appear to have prevailed.
“After 35 years of service, in order to allow an orderly process for appointing a permanent successor and for professional handover, I will end my role on June 15, 2025,” the Shin Bet chief told a memorial event at his agency, according to a statement on Monday.
Bar had contested the sacking in a legal case that polarised the country. In an affidavit before the Supreme Court on Sunday, Netanyahu described the Bar as a “liar”.
The comment came almost a week after Bar made a sworn statement to the court in which he accused the prime minister of demanding personal loyalty and ordering him to spy on anti-government protesters.
“The accusation, according to which I allegedly demanded action against innocent civilians, or against a non-violent and legitimate protest during the protests of 2023, is an absolute lie,” Netanyahu said in his court statement.
In turn, Bar denied accusations by Netanyahu and his associates that the Shin Bet security agency had failed to issue timely warnings about Hamas’s unprecedented October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza.
Bar argued instead that his ouster was motivated by a desire to halt the “pursuit of truth” about the events leading up to October 7 and also the corruption charges that hang over Netanyahu in an ongoing, long-drawn-out trial.
Netanyahu proposed Vice Admiral Eli Sharvit as the next Shin Bet chief, but reversed his nomination after the pick was criticised by the United States, a key backer of Israel.
Bar’s dismissal was announced by the government last month but frozen by the Supreme Court. The move triggered mass demonstrations, with critics accusing Netanyahu and his government of undermining the institutions underpinning Israel’s democracy by seeking Bar’s removal.
Some Israelis denounced what they saw as an autocratic shift by Netanyahu, who has been launching impeachment proceedings against a number of critics, including Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.
The Israeli parliament last month approved a law giving politicians more power over the appointment of judges, a key component of Netanyahu’s plan to overhaul the country’s judiciary.
According to Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who sponsored the bill, the measure was intended to “restore balance” between the legislative and judicial branches. Critics, however, said the new law was a “nail in the coffin of Israeli democracy”.
The overall judicial reform package sparked one of the largest protest movements in Israel’s history in 2023 before public concern was overtaken by the war in Gaza.
