Netanyahu Terminates Israel’s Security Service Chief Amid Repercussions from the Hamas Attack

Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar was fired by Netanyahu due to a “persistent loss of professional and personal trust.”

Ronen Bar, the chief of the Shin Bet security organization, was fired by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the agency was criticized for failing to foresee the devastating Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

After Netanyahu declared his intention to fire the Shin Bet chairman on Sunday, citing a growing “distrust” between the two men, the Israeli cabinet formally accepted Bar’s early dismissal on Thursday. Thousands of Israelis have joined protests against the government’s handling of the Israel-Gaza conflict as a result of the move, which has provoked widespread protests.

The government has fired the head of Israel’s internal intelligence organization, Shin Bet, which is crucial to national security, for the first time in the country’s history.

A “persistent loss of professional and personal trust” between Netanyahu and Bar was emphasized in his letter to his cabinet, particularly during the conflict that broke out after the October Hamas incident. Bar believes the move is politically driven, especially in light of the continuing probe into Netanyahu’s relations to Qatar, even if Netanyahu’s office maintains the decision is based on operational failings.

Bar, who did not attend the cabinet meeting, has described the expulsion as a “conflict of interest,” implying that the decision may have been influenced by the probe into Netanyahu’s office. In response to the accusations, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has directed that Netanyahu’s office be investigated.