That’s why Ronen Bar, the new head of Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service, is currently at the vortex of political maelstrom. He has ruled with an iron fist against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s requests to conduct illegal operations. The political fallout comes after a preliminary report of an investigation into whether the government ignored essential warnings before the unprecedented and devastating Hamas surprise attack on southern Israel. This unprecedented attack on October 7, 2023, left more than 1,100 people dead and approximately 250 others kidnapped.
The investigation by the Shin Bet should focus on how and why the attack occurred and why the government has not responded to it. Shin Bet has been trawling through the financial connections between Netanyahu’s office and Qatar. Qatar’s important role as a mediator long predated the ongoing conflict in Gaza. These questions have raised legitimate alarm over the government’s conduct of national security. They further undermine its actions to obtain the release of captives.
In an unexpected turn of events, Bar was saved when Netanyahu took the unheard-of step of firing Bar himself. Bar resisted orders that would have undermined the independence of Shin Bet. The intelligentsia was predominantly catalyzed to protest on the heels of the move to unseat the intelligence chief. These demonstrations represented the public’s anger towards their government’s inability to protect their citizens and bring their hostages home safely.
This is the first time Israel’s Supreme Court has paused Netanyahu’s attempts to fire Bar. In each case, they found the dismissal to be illegal and ordered a new heat investigation. The court’s ruling underscored our fears of a deliberately dangerous concentration of power by the Prime Minister in this unprecedented moment.
Bar has vigorously pushed back against speculation that he might be fired. He refuses the charge, saying that it is unrelated to attempts to block the ongoing “Qatargate” investigation. He has been unwilling to sign a security request every time. This decision is a product, not just of his strong ethical beliefs, but of Netanyahu’s ongoing corruption trial.
“The dismissal was not intended to prevent the investigation. Rather, the investigation was intended to prevent the dismissal.” – Critics
As war breaks out and tensions heighten, Bar finds herself under the spotlight. Shin Bet is currently investigating the government’s decisions prior to the attack in October and their response to the crisis since then. The inquiry has not only questioned Netanyahu’s leadership but opened a discourse on accountability within Israel’s political framework.
