Appeal to prevent government from firing ISA chief Ronen Bar rejected outright by Supreme Court. ‘Appeal must be submitted after government decision, not before.’
The Supreme Court on Thursday morning rejected outright an appeal against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to end ISA chief Ronen Bar’s term in office.
Netanyahu informed Bar of his decision earlier this week and it is expected to be brought for a government vote on Thursday.
The appeal was rejected with the explanation that it was filed too early, since the government has not yet made a decision on the matter. The court noted that the subject of Ronen Bar’s dismissal is a matter of great importance, but judicial criticism of it can only be demanded after a final decision on the matter is made by the relevant authority.
“The Israeli government is the body authorized to decide on the end of the ISA chief’s tenure before the completion of his term,” the judges wrote. The judges referred to a previous Supreme Court ruling on the matter, when it rejected a similar appeal by the Movement for Quality Government in Israel due to the fact that no official government decision had been made on the matter..
As such, the court ruled that due to a lack of obligatory decision by the Israeli government on the matter, there is no place for the court’s involvement at this stage. The court therefore rejected the petition outright.
