Israel's Netanyahu decides to dismiss Shin Bet head over ‘lack of trust'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday announced his decision to dismiss Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, citing a lack of trust between them.

“I have decided to propose to the government the dismissal of Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar,” Netanyahu said in a video statement released by his office.

“At all times, and especially during an existential war like this, there must be complete trust between the prime minister and the head of Shin Bet,” he added.

“Unfortunately, the opposite is true—I no longer have that trust,” Netanyahu said.

Tensions between Netanyahu and the Shin Bet escalated in recent days following the agency's internal investigation into the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack. Netanyahu dismissed the report's findings, saying they failed to answer key questions.

The investigations findings prompted opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz to demand an apology from Netanyahu. They accused him of deflecting blame.

The security service acknowledged its failure to assess Hamas' capabilities before the attack, but said Netanyahu's policies were also among the underlying causes of the attack.

He argued the move was critical to achieving “war goals and total victory.”

The government will review the proposal on Wednesday, according to Israel's Channel 12.

While several military and intelligence officials resigned, taking partial responsibility for the failure of Oct. 7, 2023, Netanyahu has refused to accept accountability and dismissed opposition calls for his government's resignation and early elections.

Earlier in the day, police summoned former Shin Bet head Nadav Argaman for questioning after Netanyahu filed a complaint against him, according to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.

In an interview on Thursday, Argaman threatened to reveal sensitive information from his meetings with Netanyahu if the prime minister acted unlawfully. “We must end the war in Gaza immediately and bring back all the prisoners. There is nothing in Gaza that justifies staying there,” he said.

The next day, Netanyahu filed a complaint with Police Commissioner Daniel Levy, saying: “I am asking you to open an immediate investigation, as all red lines have been crossed.”

“The former head of the Shin Bet chose to threaten and blackmail a sitting prime minister, using the methods of organized crime gangs, as if he were a mafia leader rather than a former Israeli security official,” he added.

He said “this crime is part of a broader campaign of blackmail and threats led by the current head of the Shin Bet (Ronen Bar), whose goal is to prevent me from making the necessary decisions to reform the Shin Bet after its disastrous failure on Oct, 7 2023.”

Shin Bet then responded, calling Netanyahu's accusations “serious” and stressing that "Ronen Bar dedicates all his time and efforts to safeguarding national security, working to bring back Israeli captives, and defending democracy.” The agency added that any other claims were baseless.