Israel's Netanyahu moves to sack internal security agency Shin Bet chief

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that he has initiated the procedure to dismiss Ronen Bar head of the Shin Bet, amid growing tensions with the country's internal security agency.

According to a statement from Netanyahu's office on Sunday, Bar was summoned to a meeting and informed that a proposal for his dismissal would be presented to the government this week, Xinhua news agency reported. In a video address to the Israeli public, Netanyahu said the decision was driven by "a lack of trust" in Bar.

As per a news report by Reuters, Bar's sacking is likely to draw widespread criticism as Israel faces the prospect of a renewal of fighting in Gaza with dozens of Israeli hostages held by Hamas yet to be released.

As the dispute between the two became public, Bar issued a response to Netanyahu, stating his loyalty as Shin Bet chief is to the Israeli public and national security, not to the prime minister personally. He argued that Netanyahu's "expectation of personal loyalty contradicts the public interest, is fundamentally flawed, and violates the Shin Bet Law".

Bar also reiterated his call for a state commission of inquiry to investigate "all relevant parties", including government policies and Netanyahu himself. He said such an investigation is "essential for public security".

The move comes amid an escalating dispute between Netanyahu and the Shin Bet over accountability for the failures leading up to the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023. The Shin Bet, responsible for monitoring Palestinian militant groups, acknowledged in a recent report that it failed to anticipate the deadly assault on Israel. However, the agency also held Netanyahu accountable for government policies that enabled the "massive buildup" of Hamas.

Netanyahu has rejected calls for a state commission of inquiry into his government's handling of the events before and during the attack. However, in his response, Bar indicated that the motive behind his dismissal is largely political and unrelated to the Hamas attack. "I took responsibility for the agency's part (in failing to prevent the attack)... it is clear that the intent behind my dismissal is not related to October 7," he wrote in a statement.

Tensions between Netanyahu and Bar have also been growing over the so-called 'Qatar Gate', an inquiry into ties between Netanyahu's close aides and the Qatari government. Qatar has played a key role in mediating between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of Israeli hostages. However, Qatar and Israel currently do not have formal diplomatic relations.

Netanyahu's move to dismiss Bar underscores growing tensions between Netanyahu and Israel's security establishment as the country remains embroiled in war and political divisions. The move came about an hour after Israeli police launched an investigation into Bar's predecessor, Nadav Argaman, following a complaint from the prime minister, who accused Argaman of "blackmailing a sitting prime minister" and making "mafia-style" criminal threats.

The complaint stemmed from an interview Argaman gave to Israel's Channel 12 News on Thursday, 13 March in which he claimed to have "a great deal of knowledge" about Netanyahu. He said he would reveal "everything" he knows if he concludes that Netanyahu "has decided to act in contravention of the law".

"I'm very troubled by the fact that the prime minister is deliberately damaging Israeli society and causing friction within it in order to rule," the former Shin Bet chief added, stressing "any information threatening Israel's national security would be shared according to law".

Appointed in 2021 by the previous government led by Yair Lapid, Bar said he had told Netanyahu that he did plan to step down eventually, but only once the remaining 59 hostages were home and after completing "sensitive investigations".

According to a Reuters report, Israel's justice minister Yariv Gideon Levin is separately trying to oust attorney-general Gali Baharav-Miara, who told the PM that he couldn't fire Bar without adequate legal examination.

The conflict with Bar follows Netanyahu's sacking of defence minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024, and military chief Herzi Halevi stepped down in January over the 7 October security failure.

However, as already mentioned, Netanyahu himself has resisted calls to establish a state inquiry into the 7 October failure, or resign over it.

Bar has repeatedly stated that a full investigation cannot stop with the military or Shin Bet, but must probe the government and Netanyahu who, he claimed, had repeatedly ignored agency warnings, particularly in the year leading up to the attack.

With agency inputs