Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet voted unanimously on Friday morning to dismiss Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, the premier’s office announced.
Bar will serve as chief till April 10, with the government moving up to his dismissal after initially scheduling it for April 20.
This is the first time in the history of Israel that the government has dismissed the head of the internal security agency.
Netanyahu told the cabinet in a meeting that started late Thursday night that he lost faith in Bar after the October 7, 2023, Hamas assault on southern Israel.
Bar is “soft” and “not the right person to rehabilitate the organisation”, Netanyahu said, according to his office.
Meanwhile, Ronen maintained his firm stance against the Netanyahu government and said, “Unfounded claims that are nothing more than a cover for completely different, extraneous and fundamentally invalid motives designed to disrupt the ability of the Shin Bet to fulfil its role.”
He also said that Netanyahu was a threat to the country “both internally and against its enemies.”
He accused Netanyahu of deliberately delaying the negotiations and also backtracking on the second and permanent phase of the ceasefire with Hamas.
Bar said there was no basis for the premier’s insistence that there is no trust between them, “except if the real intention, which I failed to understand, was to negotiate without reaching a deal.”
Also read: Israel headed to civil war, warns ex-chief justice
Turning to “Qatar-gate” — what Bar calls the “ongoing complex, extensive, and highly sensitive investigation currently underway into Qatar’s involvement in the heart of Israeli decision-making, the Prime Minister’s Office” — the Shin Bet chief says that completing the investigation in full is “a public duty of the highest order.”
Eli Feldstein (left,) a former spokesman in the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is the main suspect in an investigation launched in late October 2024 of alleged illegal access and leaking of classified intelligence material.
Taking to the streets, thousands of Israelis rallied in support of the Bar, calling the move to cover up the failure of the Netanyahu government during its 15th month-long Gaza war.
In several polls conducted to determine whether Israelis supported Netanyahu or Ronen, the results revealed that 51 per cent opposed the firing of Ronen Bar, while 32 per cent said it was the right decision.
Forty-six per cent say they trust Bar more than they trust Netanyahu, while 32 per cent trust Netanyahu more than Bar.
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