JERUSALEM, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli government on Tuesday canceled its decision to fire Ronen Bar, head of Israel's Shin Bet domestic security agency, a day after Bar announced he would step down on June 15.
According to a document submitted to the Supreme Court on behalf of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, "the government has decided to revoke its decision of March 20, 2025," to fire Bar.
The government also asked the court to dismiss petitions challenging Bar's dismissal, arguing they had become moot following his resignation.
The court said it has given the petitioners -- Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and opposition leaders -- until May 7 to respond to the request made by Netanyahu's government.
The move was widely seen in Israel as an attempt to pre-empt a potentially precedent-setting ruling by the Supreme Court on petitions challenging Bar's dismissal.
On Monday, Bar announced that he would resign over his failure to prevent the Hamas-led surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Bar's resignation came amid a standoff between him and Netanyahu, who announced Bar's dismissal in March, citing a loss of confidence in him. Baharav-Miara and opposition leaders appealed the dismissal to the Supreme Court, which then froze the decision, pending further review.
The dispute comes against the backdrop of a blame game over the failure to prevent the Oct. 7 attack. Bar previously called for the establishment of a state commission for an inquiry into all aspects that led to the attack, including the government's handling of events leading up to and during it.
Meanwhile, the probe into the alleged undisclosed contacts between Netanyahu's close aides and the Qatari government, a case dubbed "Qatar-Gate," adds to the tensions between the two sides. Enditem
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