The government canceled its decision to fire Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar in a cabinet resolution approved Tuesday afternoon, following Bar’s announcement the day before that he would resign his position on June 15.

Immediately after the resolution was approved, the government filed a request with the High Court of Justice to annul petitions that had been filed against the government’s decision to fire Bar since that decision has now been rescinded.

The court, in response, ordered the petitioners, the attorney general, and all other sides to the motions to respond by May 7. The moves by Bar and the government are likely to avert a brewing constitutional crisis.

Canceling the decision will likely mean that the High Court of Justice will not rule on the substance of the petitions, which alleged it was political and personal motivations that prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to fire Bar, and also pointed to severe procedural flaws in the process to remove him from office.

The court could, however, forbid Netanyahu from involvement in appointing Bar’s replacement while criminal investigations into his close aides by the Shin Bet continue, and make general comments about what kind of instructions the prime minister can give to the head of the Shin Bet.

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, one of the primary petitioners against the decision to fire Bar, described the government’s decision to cancel its firing of Bar as “a cynical and transparent trick designed to stop a principled decision by the High Court.”

The petitioners allege that Bar’s dismissal was tainted by severe procedural flaws, as well as political and personal considerations, including the Qatargate investigation into Netanyahu’s advisers.

They had sought a ruling on the........

© The Times of Israel