Israel’s Shin Bet chief challenges Netanyahu’s decision to dismiss him

By Said Amori and Rania Abu Shamala

JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL (AA) - The head of Israel’s Shin Bet internal security service sent a letter to the government Thursday in response to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to dismiss him.

Ronen Bar blasted the government’s “unfounded claims, that are nothing more than a cover for completely different, extraneous and fundamentally invalid motives designed to disrupt the ability of the Shin Bet to fulfill its role.”

He added that the recent hostage release deal with the Palestinian group Hamas came about because of a “unique action that I personally led, with the knowledge of the Prime Minister.”

According to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, Bar sent the letter while the government convened to vote on his dismissal, a session he refused to attend.

On Sunday evening, Netanyahu announced his decision to dismiss Bar, citing a "lack of trust" in him—one of the many political repercussions following the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas. The decision was scheduled to be presented in a Cabinet meeting.

Bar, however, hinted that the dismissal was politically motivated, suggesting that Netanyahu’s decision stemmed from his refusal to pledge personal loyalty to the prime minister.

Nearly 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 112,000 injured in a brutal Israeli military onslaught in Gaza since October 2023.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.​​​​​​​

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.