Israeli rift deepens as cabinet fires Shin Bet Chief
3 Min Read
Netanyahu's move to dismiss Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar over October 7 investigation tensions has sparked political backlash and raised concerns about the occupation's security.
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Ronen Bar, sacked chief of the Shin Bet security agency, lays a wreath during a ceremony marking Memorial Day for dead Israeli soldiers on Monday, May 13, 2024. (Pool Photo via AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet voted unanimously in the early hours of Friday to dismiss Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, marking the first time that a sitting head of the [domestic] security agency has been fired. Bar’s tenure will officially end on April 10, though he may depart earlier if a replacement is confirmed.
Netanyahu justified the move by citing a lack of confidence in Bar, particularly in light of the October 7 investigation. The prime minister criticized Bar as “soft” and not suited to leading the agency’s recovery, claiming that removing him from captive negotiations led to a decrease in leaks and improved results. However, the ceasefire and captive deal with Hamas had already been secured weeks before Bar’s removal from the talks.
Fiery clash
Bar, in a letter sent to the cabinet, dismissed Netanyahu’s claims as unfounded, arguing that the decision was politically motivated and intended to weaken the Shin Bet. He accused the prime minister of disrupting the agency’s operations and undermining "national security". Additionally, he linked his dismissal to the ongoing investigation into "Qatar’s alleged influence within Israel’s political establishment, calling for a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 failures."
Netanyahu’s office fired back, with an unnamed official—reportedly the prime minister himself—claiming Bar had prior knowledge of the October 7 operation but failed to act, a charge Bar has denied. Critics, including opposition leaders, view the dismissal as a blatant attempt "to derail the Shin Bet’s Qatar probe and consolidate political control over security institutions."
Growing dissent
The decision has sparked a public backlash, with mass protests erupting across "Israel". Thousands demonstrated outside Netanyahu’s office, chanting, “We will never give up.” Clashes with police escalated, with authorities using water cannons and forcibly removing protesters blocking roads.
A Channel 12 poll found that 51% of Israelis oppose Bar’s dismissal, while 46% trust him more than Netanyahu. Opposition figures condemned the move, with Benny Gantz calling it a “mark of Cain” on ministers who supported it, and Yair Lapid alleging it was designed "to obstruct the Qatar investigation."
Meanwhile, the government is also advancing efforts to remove Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who opposed Bar’s dismissal and had warned Netanyahu he lacked the legal authority to fire him without proper justification. Reports suggest a vote on her removal could take place as early as Sunday.
Entity teeters on the edge of conflict
As "Israel" resumes its brutal aggression on Gaza—widely condemned as genocide—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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