Netanyahu to fire head of Israel’s internal security service

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.

Credit: cnn.com

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