JERUSALEM - The Israeli government said on Sunday that the tenure of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar could "irreparably harm" the country's security.

The remarks were made in response to the country's High Court of Justice, which suspended a decision by the government in March to dismiss the chief of Israel's internal security service amid ongoing disagreements between him and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Forcing Bar to continue his tenure is unacceptable and inconsistent with the government's powers and constitutes a reversal of the order of government, the government said in the response.

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On Friday, Bar wrote to the court that Netanyahu had repeatedly asked him to issue an opinion citing security concerns to prevent Netanyahu's ongoing court testimony at his corruption trial -- a request Bar rejected.

Bar emphasized that the Shin Bet must maintain professional independence and warned against the possibility that the Shin Bet would become a secret police.

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Also on Friday, Israel's Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, urged the high court to overturn the government's decision to dismiss Bar, arguing that it was fundamentally flawed and tainted by Netanyahu's personal conflicts of interest.