Ben-Gvir calls for Shin Bet chief's dismissal over warning letter
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In his letter to Netanyahu and Israeli ministers, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar points to Ben-Gvir's storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque last week and warns that "continuing in this direction will lead to much bloodshed."
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Ronen Bar, head of the Israeli Security Agency, Shin Bet, attends a ceremony at Mount Herzl military cemetery, occupied al-Quds, on Monday, May 13, 2024. (AP)
The head of the Israeli Security Agency issued a stark warning last week to senior Israeli officials regarding the threat of "Jewish terror" driven by extremist settler violence in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli Channel 12 reported, following a deadly attack by settlers on the Palestinian village of Jit, east of Qalqilya.
A couple of days ago, a Palestinian youth was killed and another was critically injured during an attack by Israeli settlers on Jit. The settlers raided the village and set fire to several Palestinian homes and vehicles. According to local sources, Israeli occupation forces blocked Palestinian Civil Defense teams from reaching the burning homes and vehicles to extinguish the flames.
Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar sent a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Security Minister Yoav Gallant, other senior ministers, as well as Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, notably excluding Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, according to Channel 12.
"I am writing this letter to you with a heavy heart, filled with concern, as a Jew, as an Israeli, and as a member of the defense establishment, about the growing phenomenon of Jewish terror from 'hilltop youth,'" the letter read.
The term "hilltop youth" refers to extremist Israeli settlers involved in establishing outposts in the West Bank deemed illegal even by the occupation authorities and frequently accused of carrying out violent attacks against Palestinian citizens.
Bar mentioned that "the ‘hilltop youth’ long ago turned into a hotbed of violence against Palestinians," expressing alarm over the significant rise in such incidents and the lack of accountability, as suspects are rarely prosecuted.
He emphasized a loss of fear of administrative detention among those involved, attributing this to favorable prison conditions and financial support they receive upon release from certain Knesset members, along with the legitimacy and praise they are given, amid what he called "a campaign to delegitimize security forces."
According to the Shin Bet chief, there was a shift from centralized and covert operations to widespread and overt activities, and a move from using lighters to employing weapons, sometimes provided by the government itself, and from evading security forces to directly attacking them, all amid governmental support rather than condemnation.
In his letter, Bar called for a coalition of ministries, rabbis, and local leaders to combat this trend, warning that without such cooperation, the phenomenon will continue to grow.
He described the damage inflicted on "Israel" and the vast majority of settlers as "immeasurable", highlighting the global delegitimization the occupation entity faces, even from its closest allies.
He indicated that the Israeli military is not designed to handle these tasks, especially amid the ongoing multi-front war and anticipated retaliatory attacks.
Bar cautioned that this "slippery slope" complicates the establishment of regional alliances needed to counter "Israel's" adversaries.
In the same context, the head of the Israeli Security Agency pointed to Ben-Gvir's storming of the al-Aqsa Mosque last week, warning that "continuing in this direction will lead to much bloodshed and will change the State of Israel beyond recognition."
Ben-Gvir calls for Bar's dismissal
In response, Ben-Gvir reportedly demanded, during a recent security cabinet meeting, the dismissal of Bar after Israeli media published his letter.
The Israel Hayom and Maariv newspapers said that Netanyahu and other ministers defended Bar after Ben-Gvir accused the Shin Bet head of responsibility for the intelligence failures that led to the October 7 events.
The Police Minister accused Bar of "failure in intelligence and constantly turning a blind eye to terrorism and the enemy that planned mass murder for years."
Ben-Gvir added that the Shin Bet chief aligned with the protest movement against the government’s judicial overhaul, which he argued weakened the Israeli military.
Elsewhere, he also accused Bar of inciting against him and "interfering with politics."
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