Jerusalem The government’s March decision to fire Ronen Bar, the director of Israel’s Shin Bet internal security service, was declared “illegal and contrary to law” by the Supreme Court of Israel.

In its verdict on Wednesday, the three-judge panel said that the firing was carried out “through an improper process and in violation of the law,” as reported by Xinhua news agency.

There is a conflict of interest for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu because of the current inquiry into a case known as “Qatar-Gate,” the court further said.

The “Qatar-Gate” case, which looks into the alleged undisclosed contacts between Netanyahu’s close aides and the Qatari government, has exacerbated tensions between the two sides, and Bar and Netanyahu are at odds over a blame game over the failure to stop the October 7 Hamas-led attack.

According to the Xinhua news agency, Netanyahu announced Bar’s termination in March, claiming a decline in trust in him.

Opposition leaders and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara challenged the dismissal to the Supreme Court, which halted the ruling until it could be reviewed further.

Bar said in late April that he will step down on June 15.

The Israeli government revoked its decision to fire Bar the next day and requested that the Supreme Court reject petitions contesting his termination, claiming that they were moot after his resignation.

Allegedly, the deal sought to further Qatari interests inside Netanyahu’s administration. The charges have been refuted by Qatar, which has described them as unfounded.

The court also decided that the Netanyahu administration did not hold a legally mandated hearing for Bar and did not submit the dismissal to the appropriate advisory group. It found no evidence to support the judgment.

The Supreme Court’s president, Justice Yitzhak Amit, said in a letter that Netanyahu had a conflict of interest at the time of the ruling because of probes into his aides in the “QatarGate” case and another controversy involving leaked sensitive materials.

“This situation becomes even more severe,” Amit said, “given that the Prime Minister himself has repeatedly acknowledged that these investigations could affect, among other things, his personal and political status.”

The court also said that “terminating his tenure could significantly impact their course,” given that Bar is intimately engaged in the investigations.

“Accordingly,” Amit said, “the court finds that the Prime Minister is in a conflict of interest that prevents him from interfering in the termination of the Shin Bet director’s position.”

According Israeli Channel 12, the decision essentially permits Netanyahu to choose a successor.

The Israeli government said on March 20 that Bar will be fired on April 10. Later, as it considered petitions from opposition parliamentarians, the court ordered an injunction prohibiting his removal or replacement.

Bar said on April 28 that he will voluntarily resign on June 15 in violation of the court decision.

Since October 2023, the Israeli army has been waging a bloody onslaught against Gaza, murdering around 53,700 Palestinians, the majority of whom were women and children.