Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday (March 16) that he has informed the head of the Israeli Security Agency Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, that he will request government approval to dismiss him this week. Netanyahu’s office stated on Sunday that the Prime Minister has “never had confidence” in Bar, the head of the domestic intelligence agency, and that “this lack of trust has only grown over time.”
This decision comes after escalating tensions between Netanyahu and Bar, mainly revolving around who should be held accountable for the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which led to the Gaza War. Shin Bet is responsible for monitoring Palestinian militant groups. The agency recently released a report acknowledging intelligence failures leading up to and following the October 7 attack, but also criticized the Netanyahu government’s failed policies, claiming they created an atmosphere for the Hamas attack to occur.
Netanyahu has refused to establish a formal national inquiry commission to investigate the October 7 attack, attributing the failure to the Israeli military and security agencies. In recent months, several senior security officials, including the Defense Minister and the Chief of Staff of the Israeli military, have either been dismissed or resigned.
Bar is one of the few senior security officials who have remained in their positions since the October 7 attack.
Netanyahu stated that removing Bar from his position will help Israel “achieve its war goals and prevent the next disaster.” It is expected that Netanyahu will appoint a loyal official to replace Bar in his role.
Recently, Netanyahu removed Bar from the ceasefire and hostage negotiation team, replacing him with Ron Dermer, Israel’s Minister of Strategic Affairs and a loyal member of his cabinet, to participate in negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
(This article is based on reporting from The Associated Press)