Professional Opinion

Key points to keep in mind in relation to the Supreme Court hearing on Ronen Bar's firing

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IDI VP of Research Prof. Suzie Navot shares key points to keep in mind in relation to the Supreme Court hearing on Ronen Bar's firing.

Photos by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90

First, what is at stake in this hearing is much bigger than Ronen Bar. This is about the ability of future heads of the Shin Bet to fulfill their duties, to lead the organization with a sense of civic duty, and to express professional positions without fear. Ronen Bar’s letter shows that this danger is not theoretical.

Second, if it becomes possible to dismiss the head of the Shin Bet under these conditions—in an irregular manner, due to claims of distrust, without a proper factual basis, without a hearing, without a committee, without examining conflicts of interest, without working within existing proper procedures – what will be the fate of all the other senior officeholders in Israel's public service? After all, they too could be dismissed in this way. This could have dramatic, far-reaching implications for the independence and professionalism of the entire public service.

Third, as we've learned from other countries that have experienced democratic backsliding, appointments and dismissals in security agencies can be a tool for taking control of them. This is particularly true in countries led by populist leaders—those who were democratically elected but dismantle democracy in order to remain in power. In those countries, heads of security agencies who were replaced with “loyalists” effectively aided the takeover of the rest of the state’s institutions, of the information and oversight mechanisms, and of the centers of power in the country, and are used to silence criticism of the government.

The head of the Shin Bet cannot, therefore, be a “position of trust” for the prime minister or the government. Venezuela, Turkey, Hungary, and Poland illustrate that the replacement of professionals with regime “loyalists” helped turn the security agencies into tools of the regime, bound to the rulers in a way that nullifies their subordination to the law – and to democracy in general.