Israel's domestic security chief says he will step down in June,
defusing battle with Netanyahu
[April 29, 2025]
By NATALIE MELZER
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The head of Israel’s internal security service
says he will resign in June over the failure of his agency to warn of
Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks — defusing an escalating battle with Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar announced his resignation Monday, saying he
will formally step down June 15.
“After years on many fronts, one night, on the southern front, the skies
came down,” Bar said during remarks at a memorial event for fallen Shin
Bet soldiers. “All systems collapsed. The Shin Bet also failed to give a
warning.”
Netanyahu moved to fire Bar last month over what he said was a crisis of
confidence surrounding Hamas’ attack. But the step sparked an uproar in
Israel because the agency is investigating ties between the Israeli
leader’s office and Qatar — a key mediator between Hamas and Israel over
the war in Gaza.
Critics said the firing was tainted by a conflict of interest meant to
derail that probe, a charge Netanyahu denies.
Israel’s Supreme Court froze the firing following multiple legal
challenges against it and called on the sides to reach a compromise.
In his address, Bar said the court case “is not about my personal case
but about the independence of the next heads of the Shin Bet."
He said the agency’s “proper functioning is of inestimable importance to
the security of the state and to Israeli democracy. I have been fighting
for this for the past month, and this week the necessary infrastructure
was laid before the High Court of Justice. I hope that the ruling that
will be given will ensure that the Shin Bet will be preserved as such,
over time and without fear.”
Bar filed a document with the Supreme Court last week that accused
Netanyahu of trying to exploit the power of the agency for political and
personal gain. Among the accusations, he claimed Netanyahu wanted him to
spy on anti-government protesters and pressured him to effectively
scuttle Netanyahu’s corruption trial by claiming the prime minister
could not testify due to security concerns.
Netanyahu called the accusations lies and responded with his own
accusations against Bar.
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Ronen Bar, chief of Israel's domestic Shin Bet security agency,
attends a ceremony marking Memorial Day for fallen soldiers of
Israel's wars and victims of attacks at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl
military cemetery, May 13, 2024. (Gil Cohen-Magen/Pool photo via AP,
File)
Netanyahu frequently complains of a “deep state” of civil servants
and unelected judges that he says are out to topple him. Good
governance groups say the Shin Bet chief is meant to be an
independent figure and fear that Bar’s ouster will clear the way for
Netanyahu to place a loyalist into the sensitive post.
The Shin Bet is responsible for monitoring Palestinian militant
groups, and Bar has previously acknowledged his agency’s failures in
preventing Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. But in a report issued in March,
the Shin Bet also criticized Netanyahu, saying failed government
policies helped create the climate that led to the attack. Netanyahu
has tried to blame the failures on the army and security agencies
and repeatedly resisted calls for an official state commission of
inquiry that would look into the government decision-making as well.
Bar follows a number of senior security figures to resign or be
fired in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack -- including the former
defense minister and army chief.
Speaking at the memorial, Bar said everyone who "failed to provide a
security blanket that day must bow our heads in humility before the
murdered, the dead, the wounded, the kidnapped and their families
and act accordingly. Everyone.”
The Qatar investigation is the latest in a series of scandals to hit
Netanyahu. The Shin Bet is looking into allegations that close
advisers worked as paid consultants for Qatar —- an Arab country
that does not have full diplomatic relations with Israel — while
also working for the prime minister. Netanyahu, who is on trial for
a series of corruption charges, has not been directly implicated in
the scandal.
Netanyahu early this month attempted to name a former navy commander
as the new Shin Bet chief. But he was forced to cancel the
appointment less than 24 hours later after learning that his nominee
had participated in anti-government protests.
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