Former Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen has revealed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly pressured him to carry out “illegitimate acts” during his tenure, expressing concern that Netanyahu’s next choice to lead the security agency may not resist such demands.

In an interview with Channel 12, Cohen emphasized that the effectiveness of the Shin Bet will largely depend on who replaces outgoing chief Ronen Bar, following the cabinet’s decision to approve his dismissal.

“If he [Bar] finishes his tenure, and one of the two current deputy chiefs or a past deputy is appointed—all three of whom are capable individuals—then I think we can rest assured that people will do their job,” Cohen stated.

However, he warned that if an outsider is chosen, “it could lead to a situation where someone comes in who feels ‘obligated’ to the prime minister. He will enter the position deterred from doing the job.”

Cohen stressed that Netanyahu could exert improper influence over the new Shin Bet chief, cautioning, “The prime minister, due to many things that await us in the future, could make illegitimate demands of him. The prime minister makes illegitimate demands of the Shin Bet chief.”

Cohen slams ministers for ‘sheep-like’ obedience to Netanyahu

When asked whether he was speaking from personal experience, Cohen confirmed that Netanyahu had asked him multiple times to carry out actions that were both “illegitimate and questionably legal.” He added that his successors, Nadav Argaman and Ronen Bar, had faced similar requests.

He warned that "Israel" risks having a Shin Bet chief who acts “out of non-state loyalty,” potentially targeting political opponents of Netanyahu under the pretext of “political subversion.”

Cohen previously claimed that in 2011, Netanyahu had requested that he wiretap "Israel’s" top defense officials to monitor for leaks from a highly classified security meeting.

During the interview, Cohen also criticized government ministers for supporting Bar’s dismissal, arguing that their compliance would deepen divisions in Israeli settler communities.

“These incidents—the Shin Bet chief’s dismissal, as well as the imminent dismissal of [Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara]—will inevitably lead to difficult fights within society and to greater rifts and divisions,” he warned.

“Unfortunately, this will lead to violence within Israeli society, and it won’t just be Prime Minister Netanyahu’s problem, but the entire government’s problem,” he further stressed.

Cohen accused government ministers of blindly following Netanyahu’s lead, declaring, “They know where this is going, and they are acting like sheep, silent and unquestioning. They are clinging to their seats because of governmental, political, economic, and financial interests.”

Entity teeters on the edge of conflict

As "Israel" resumes its brutal aggression on Gaza and persists in breaching Lebanon’s ceasefire, internal fractures within the entity are deepening. Netanyahu’s decision to fire Ronen Bar has intensified political and security tensions, raising fears of internal collapse.

The move, seen by critics as an attempt to consolidate power and obstruct investigations into his administration’s dealings, has sparked mass protests, exposing a volatile divide between the government and its security establishment. Amid ongoing wars on multiple fronts, the entity faces mounting instability, with the prospect of  Internal armed conflict becoming increasingly likely.

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