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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will seek to remove Shin Bet security service chief Ronen Bar, the prime minister's office announced Sunday. The decision, which follows months of tension between the two, will be presented to the government this week.
Netanyahu is believed to have majority support in government to remove Bar, but the move could be subject to appeals by Israel’s Supreme Court.
In a statement, Bar said that he intends to fulfill certain responsibilities before leaving his position.
“The duty of trust owed by the head of the Shin Bet is first and foremost to the citizens of Israel – this perception is what underlies all of my actions and decisions,” Bar said, “The Prime Minister’s expectation of a personal duty of trust whose purpose contradicts the public interest is a fundamentally wrong expectation.”
In a video statement released on Sunday, Netanyahu said his “ongoing distrust” of Bar led to this decision.
“At all times, but especially in such an existential war, the prime minister must have full confidence in the head of the Shin Bet,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu added that removing Bar would be necessary for achieving Israel’s war goals in Gaza and “preventing the next disaster.”
The prime minister has frequently criticized the agency, placing blame on its leaders for the security lapses that led to the Hamas October 7, 2023, attacks that killed more than 1,200 people.
Shin Bet, which is in charge of monitoring domestic threats to Israel, conducted an internal investigation that determined that the agency had “failed in its mission” to prevent the attacks.
In its investigation, Shin Bet also leveled implicit criticism at Netanyahu, saying that in the years leading up to its October 7 attack, Hamas was enriched by Qatari payments that were blessed by the Israeli government.
Its report also said that Hamas decided to attack when it did in part because of internal divisions in Israeli society fueled by Netanyahu’s attempts to pass judicial changes, which led to massive protest.
Opposition politicians criticized Netanyahu and suggested that Bar’s firing would be a politically motivated move.
