Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fired the head of the country’s domestic security service, Shin Bet, following its failure to predict the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.
The Israeli cabinet convened on Thursday evening to formally approve the removal of Ronen Bar, who had been appointed as Shin Bet’s chief in October 2021 for a five-year term. Netanyahu had previously announced his intention to dismiss Bar in a video statement on Sunday, citing “ongoing distrust” between the two men, which had “grown over time.”
The firing of Bar has caused outrage, intensifying anti-government protests in Jerusalem, where thousands of Israelis joined forces with demonstrators opposing Israel’s renewed assault on Gaza. This marks the first time in Israeli history that a government has dismissed the head of Shin Bet.
Ahead of the cabinet meeting, Netanyahu sent a letter to government officials referencing a “persistent loss of professional and personal trust” between himself and Bar, proposing that his term end on April 20. “The loss of professional trust has been consolidated during the war, beyond the operational failure of 7 October [2023], and in particular in recent months,” the letter read, referring to the Hamas attacks that ignited the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict.
Shin Bet plays a crucial role in Israel’s domestic intelligence efforts and in the war. Its operations and personnel are highly confidential. However, Bar has described the decision to remove him as politically motivated. According to The Times of Israel, Bar did not attend the cabinet vote but sent a letter claiming that his firing was “entirely tainted by conflicts of interest” due to the Shin Bet’s investigation into Netanyahu’s office over accusations of Qatar’s involvement in Israeli decision-making.
The Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara recently ordered a police and Shin Bet investigation into officials in Netanyahu’s office over alleged financial ties to Qatar. A gag order has been placed on all information related to the investigation. Netanyahu’s Likud Party has denied all allegations.
