Israel's Netanyahu says security chief failed miserably on October 7

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed back against his domestic security chief Ronen Bar, saying that the head of Shin Bet “failed miserably” when Hamas attacked Israel.

On the other hand security chief, Ronen Bar, whom the government is trying to sack, accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of demanding personal loyalty and ordering him to spy on anti-government protesters, drawing a sharp rebuke from the long-time leader.

Ronen Bar’s accusations, in a sworn statement to the Supreme Court, are the latest twist in a legal and political saga pitting him against Netanyahu. Bar’s dismissal, announced by the government last month but frozen by the court, triggered mass protests.

The unprecedented move to fire the head of the Shin Bet security agency has been contested by the attorney general and the opposition, which sees it as a sign of authoritarian drift.

Following a lengthy hearing, the Supreme Court on April 8 called on the government and attorney general to find a compromise on the issue, giving them until after the Jewish Passover holiday, which has just ended.

In his affidavit submitted to the court on Monday, security chief Bar said: “I will soon announce the date of my resignation.”

The affidavit, which was released by the attorney general’s office, contains several accusations against Netanyahu including claims that he had asked Bar for personal loyalty.

“It was clear” that in the event of a potential constitutional crisis, Netanyahu would expect Bar to obey the prime minister and not the courts, the Shin Bet chief wrote.

The security agency boss also said Netanyahu told him “on more than one occasion” that he expected the Shin Bet to take action against Israelis involved in anti-government protests, “with a particular focus on monitoring the protests’ financial backers”.

– ‘Failed miserably’ –

Confirming earlier media reports, Bar also said Netanyahu had sought his help to delay testifying in an ongoing corruption trial against the premier.

Bar further addressed the so-called “Qatargate” scandal, where ties between Netanyahu’s aides and Qatar are currently being investigated.

“Even a minor suspicion that individuals employed by a state that supports Hamas have access to the inner sanctum of Israeli decision-making and may be engaged in influence operations must be thoroughly examined,” Bar said, “especially when this country is engaged in mediating negotiations between Israel and Hamas”, referring to Qatar’s mediation role over the Gaza war.

Additionally, Bar denied accusations by Netanyahu and his associates that the Shin Bet had failed to warn in time about Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war in Gaza.

Netanyahu’s office immediately accused Bar of submitting “a false affidavit” and later responded in-depth to several of his claims, stating that he “failed miserably” when Hamas attacked Israel.

“Bar claims that on the night of October 7th, he woke up the entire system. He conveniently forgets to mention that he did not wake up the heads of the system,” said the statement from the prime minister’s office.

“Bar confirms the assessment of all government ministers that he failed miserably on October 7th. This reason alone justifies the end of his tenure,” read a lengthy response from Netanyahu in a statement issued by his office after Bar filed an affidavit containing accusations against the long-time premier.

Netanyahu’s response also denied that he “requested to delay his trial. On the contrary, the prime minister insisted on holding his trial without any delay,” the statement said.

An April 8 supreme court hearing on the government’s plans to fire Bar ruled that he “will continue to perform his duties until a later decision”.

It added “there is nothing to prevent interviews with candidates for the post, without announcing an appointment”.