Netanyahu announces plans to fire Shin Bet chief for ‘ongoing distrust’ during war

This comes at a time when the security service is investigating two of the prime minister’s advisers over alleged payments from Qatar

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced plans to dismiss the director of Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service, citing “ongoing distrust” during a time of war.

The move to dismiss Ronen Bar follows tensions over blame for the failures leading to Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack. The Shin Bet, which is responsible for monitoring Palestinian militant groups, recently released a report acknowledging its failures in the attack while also criticising Mr Netanyahu, stating that government policies contributed to the events.

The Israeli prime minister said in a video statement on Sunday: “We are in the midst of a war for our very survival … At any time, but especially during such an existential war, the prime minister must have complete confidence in the director of the [Shin Bet]. Unfortunately, however, the situation is the opposite.”

He added: “I believe this step is critical for rehabilitating the organisation, achieving the objectives of the war and preventing the next catastrophe.”

Mr Netanyahu said he has had “ongoing distrust” with Mr Bar and "this distrust has grown over time”.

This comes at a time when the security service is investigating two of the prime minister’s advisers over alleged payments from Qatar during the Israel-Hamas war. Known as “Qatar-Gate” in the Israeli press, the probe is examining claims that they facilitated and received payments from Qatar to enhance its image in Israel.

Qatar, a key mediator in Gaza ceasefire talks, previously transferred funds to Hamas in 2018 after Mr Netanyahu’s approval for humanitarian aid in Gaza. Following the 7 October 2023 attack, this decision became a major point of criticism, especially after the Shin Bet claimed that some of the funds were used for Hamas’s military build-up.

In response to the PM’s decision, Mr Bar said that he intended to remain in his position for the near future, citing a “personal obligation” to complete “sensitive investigations”, secure the release of remaining hostages in Gaza, and prepare potential successors.

The Shin Bet chief said that he responded “first and foremost to the citizens of Israel” and that Mr Netanyahu’s “expectation of a personal loyalty contradicts the public interest and is fundamentally flawed”.

Mr Netanyahu’s decision has sparked concerns among his political rivals that he may appoint a loyalist, politicise the agency, and use it to target opponents, critics, or the protest movement against him.

Mr Netanyahu’s far-right allies praised his decision, with former national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir calling it “better late than never”. Cabinet loyalists also hailed the move as a “defence of democracy”.

Mr Netanyahu has brushed off calls for a state commission of inquiry to investigate his government’s role in the security failure on 7 Oct, instead blaming the military and security agencies. Several top security officials have already been dismissed or forced out. Mr Bar is one of the last remaining senior officials from that time, and his removal would likely pave the way for a Netanyahu loyalist, further delaying any investigation.

Mr Netanyahu’s loyalists in the Israeli media and on social media have been openly attacking Mr Bar, who served in the Shin Bet for two decades before becoming its director in 2021.

Meanwhile, Mr Netanyahu needs attorney general Gali Baharav-Miara’s approval for a major decision like this, but she has warned him that the Shin Bet shouldn’t serve his personal interests.

Their relationship is already tense, and justice minister Yariv Levin recently started the process of firing her. In her letter to the PM, she warned that he could not go ahead with the move without clarification and added that he should “pay attention to the fact that the role of the Shin Bet is not to serve the personal trust of the prime minister”.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid labelled the move to dismiss Mr Bar as “shameful”. His Yesh Atid party now plans to petition the courts against Mr Netanyahu’s decision to dismiss Mr Bar, claiming the move is an attempt “to sabotage a serious criminal investigation of the prime minister’s office”.

He said: “Netanyahu is firing Ronen Bar for only one reason – the ‘Qatar-gate’ investigation. For a year and a half, he saw no reason to fire him, but only when the investigation into Qatar’s infiltration of Netanyahu’s office and the funds transferred to his closest aides began did he suddenly feel an urgency to fire him immediately.”

According to The Times of Israel, he said: “Netanyahu has once again put his private interests above the good of the country and its security. All the slander and all the attempts to shift responsibility for the failure onto the security system will not help Netanyahu. He is primarily responsible for the failure and disaster of 7 October, and that is all that will be remembered of him.”

The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on 7 Oct 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages. Israel’s retaliatory war in Gaza has killed over 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.