After months of tension, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he would seek to remove the chief of the Shin Bet security service, Ronen Bar.
Netanyahu met with Bar and informed him that he would propose his removal to the government this week, the prime minister’s office said on Sunday.
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.
The agency also reportedly opened an investigation recently into members of Netanyahu’s office for inappropriately lobbying on behalf of Qatar – something his office denies.
Netanyahu also removed Bar and the head of the Mossad, David Barnea, from the negotiating team engaging in indirect talks with Hamas.
Opposition politicians criticized Netanyahu and suggested that Bar’s firing would be a politically motivated move.
“For a year and a half, he saw no reason to fire him, but only when the investigation into Qatar’s infiltration of Netanyahu’s office and the funds transferred to his closest aides began, did he suddenly feel an urgent need to fire him immediately,” opposition leader Yair Lapid said.
National Unity Chairman Benny Gantz said it would be a “direct violation of the state’s security and the dismantling of unity in Israeli society for political and personal reasons.”
Several far-right members of the government applauded Netanyahu’s intent to fire Bar on Sunday.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that it is a “necessary step” and that it would have been appropriate for the Shin Bet leader to “take real responsibility and resign on his own initiative more than a year ago.”
Israel’s former National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who had disputes with Bar over the treatment of Palestinian prisoners and other issues, asserted that Netanyahu’s decision shows “there is no place in a democratic state for officials who behave politically against me and against elected officials.” Ben Gvir has repeatedly called for Bar’s firing.