Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Thursday night: “Tonight, a dangerous red line was crossed in Israeli democracy. Never before, in the history of Israel or any democracy, has a former head of a security agency engaged in live blackmail and threats against a sitting prime minister. This crime is part of an ongoing campaign of coercion through media leaks in recent days, orchestrated by the current Shin Bet chief, Ronen Bar.”
The prime minister, who has recently taken steps to remove the Shin Bet chief, asserted: “The sole objective of these threats is to prevent me from making the necessary decisions to restore the Shin Bet after its grave failure on October 7. Let me be clear: mafia-style criminal intimidation will not deter me. I will take the necessary steps to ensure the security of Israel’s citizens.”
The PM was referring to a News12 interview with Ronen Bar’s predecessor at the helm of the Shin Bet, Nadav Argaman, who said the following in prime time:
“The intimate relationship between the head of the Shin Bet and the prime minister is crucial, and I don’t believe it’s right to jeopardize that relationship. It’s essential to maintain the integrity of their connection, the working ties, and the transparency that must exist between the two. For that reason, I’m currently keeping everything that transpired between me and the prime minister private. It’s clear that I possess a significant amount of knowledge, but I choose not to use it for the same reasons I’ve already outlined.”
“If I come to the conclusion that the State of Israel or the prime minister himself is acting unlawfully, then, if necessary, I will disclose everything I know, which I have kept to myself until now to preserve the importance of the relationship between the head of the Shin Bet and the prime minister.”
As for the prime minister’s declaration of “I will not be threatened,” Argaman remarked:
“I’m not aware of any threats. It’s true that the heads of the Shin Bet possess a lot of knowledge, but we don’t go around wielding threats like a machete. If we believe there’s information that could jeopardize Israel’s national security, we will act within the law.”
Ronen Bar has already taken steps to prevent Netanyahu from sacking him: last month, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara announced that the Shin Bet and the police would investigate the connection between officials in the Prime Minister’s Office and elements connected to Qatar. The Shin Bet’s investigation into the matter, which at this point appears to be another hot air balloon, would nevertheless place Netanyahu in a conflict of interests should he attempt to fire the official investigating his office.
Baharav-Miara prepared a similar move against former National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, which was aborted when the minister resigned over the conduct of the war in Gaza.
A recently published Shin Bet investigation of its own conduct before and during October 7, 2023, absolves the clandestine police of all responsibility. The investigation report says Ronen Bar and his subordinates had been advocating for the assassination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar only to be refused by the cabinet. The report trips on its own lies when it both suggests that the Shin Bet knew about Hamas’s October 7 plot and fails to explain why the IDF was not alerted.
The AG and the Shin Bet chief are gearing up for a war of attrition against their sacking. If Netanyahu decides to dismiss Bar, he must first summon him to a hearing and provide adequate justification for the decision. However, before reaching that point, Netanyahu must address the issue of the Attorney General. The Attorney General’s deputy, Attorney Gil Limon, has made it clear that such a significant decision must be based on “a solid and complete factual foundation—free from external influences and in accordance with the law, including administrative law principles.”
