Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar of investigating Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir without his approval, amid a power struggle that continues to deepen the rift in government. 

Netanyahu’s cabinet voted unanimously in the early hours of Friday to dismiss Bar, marking the first time that a sitting head of the [domestic] security agency has been fired. However, his dismissal was blocked by the Supreme Court and protested by the settler community. 

Now, the prime minister responded to a report that the Shin Bet, under Bar, had extensively investigated the far-right infiltration of the police and its links to Ben-Gvir, alleging "the claim that the prime minister authorized Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar to gather evidence against Minister Ben Gvir is yet another exposed lie."

"The published document, which contains an explicit directive from the Shin Bet chief to gather evidence against political leaders, resembles dark regimes, undermines democracy, and aims to bring down a right-wing government," Netanyahu's statement claimed. 

Ben-Gvir responded on X, labeling Bar a "criminal" and a "liar," accusing him of attempting to cover up his alleged conspiracy against elected officials in the "democratic" occupation entity, despite the documents being publicly revealed.

The decision to fire Bar 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 Israeli settlers 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."

Netanyahu says Qatar probe opened to stop Shin Bet chief firing

The Kan public broadcaster reported Saturday that the police "Qatargate" probe is investigating the transfer of funds between multiple entities since May 2022, potentially earlier.

A key challenge is that some individuals of interest, including Israel Einhorn, a former Netanyahu aide who worked for Qatar, reside outside the occupied territory. 

As mentioned in the report, on Friday, it was revealed that Yonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein, a former Netanyahu spokesman, were the two suspects briefly detained for questioning on Wednesday in the ongoing police-Shin Bet "Qatargate" investigation.

Netanyahu claimed that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar launched an investigation into his senior aides' financial ties with Qatar to prevent Bar's dismissal. However, Netanyahu's claim lacked evidence and contradicted the known timeline, as the dismissal process began after the investigation was already underway.

In a video message, Netanyahu presented "shocking" documents to support his claim, but they did not align with the facts or timeline.

“The facts prove unequivocally that the dismissal was not intended to prevent the investigation — the investigation was intended to prevent the dismissal,” Netanyahu said, with no evidence. “So tell me, who here is acting with ulterior motives?”

Read more: Netanyahu accuses Shin Bet chief of blackmail amid power struggle