Netanyahu wants to dismiss head of Israel’s internal security service
Photo: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netan (Getty Images)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that he would seek the dismissal of the head of the Internal Security Service (Shin Bet), Ronen Bar. The two sides continue to blame each other for the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, reports Associated Press.
According to Netanyahu, next week, he will put Bar's dismissal issue to a vote in the government. He said that he had held a constant lack of trust in Bar and that this mistrust had grown over time.
The decision was made after an increasingly bitter dispute between the prime minister and the head of Shin Bet, which focused mainly on who was responsible for Hamas' fall on Israel, ultimately triggering the war in Gaza.
As reported by AP, the Shin Bet is responsible for monitoring Palestinian militant groups. Recently, the service released a report in which it took responsibility for its failures related to the October 7 attack. However, it also criticized Netanyahu, stating that the government's failed policies helped create a climate that led to the attack.
Tension reached a peak this past weekend when Bar's predecessor, Nadav Argaman, stated that he would release confidential information about Netanyahu if it was found that the prime minister had broken the law. Netanyahu, in turn, accused Argaman of blackmail and filed a police complaint.
AP also notes that Netanyahu resisted calls to create an official state commission to investigate the October 7 Hamas attack. He attempted to shift the blame for the failures onto the military and security services. In recent months, a number of senior security officials, including the defense minister and the army chief, have been either dismissed or forced to resign.
Ronen Bar, on the other hand, was one of the few high-ranking security officials who remained in his post after the October 7 attack.
Summarizing his speech, Netanyahu stated that Bar's removal from office would help Israel "achieve its war goals and prevent the next disaster." It is expected that the Israeli prime minister will appoint a loyal individual to Bar's position, which will slow down the work of the investigation commission.
Ceasefire in Gaza
It was reported about a week ago that a new ceasefire agreement in Gaza, under which Israel would release all Hamas hostages, could be reached within a few weeks. This was stated by Adam Boehler, the US President’s envoy for hostages. He noted that the first round of negotiations between the parties had been productive.
