Israel’s Shin Bet security agency chief Ronen Bar to resign June 15 after clash with Netanyahu
Mossad intelligence agency chief David Barnea (R) and Ronen Bar (2nd L), chief of Israel's domestic Shin Bet security agency, attend a ceremony marking Memorial Day for fallen soldiers of Israel's wars and victims of attacks at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl military cemetery on May 13, 2024. (AFP Photo)
The head of Israel’s Shin Bet security agency said Monday he will step down on June 15, following a dispute with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which had moved to dismiss him before the decision was frozen by the Supreme Court.
“After 35 years of service, in order to allow for an orderly process of appointing a permanent replacement and professional overlap, I will end my role on June 15, 2025,” Ronen Bar said at a memorial ceremony for fallen Shin Bet personnel.
The announcement came a day after Netanyahu publicly accused Bar of an intelligence failure related to the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, public broadcaster KAN reported.
In an affidavit to the Supreme Court, responding to testimony Bar submitted last week concerning his dismissal, Netanyahu stated: “Ronen Bar’s claim that he warned of an impending war and alerted all systems is false. Bar’s handling of the [October 2023] events constitutes the greatest intelligence failure in Israel’s history.”
On April 21, Bar had submitted a written statement to the Supreme Court regarding the government’s decision to dismiss him.
Using Shin Bet’s resources to gather intel on protesters
In the filing, Bar claimed he was being removed due to his loyalty to the rule of law and “the expectation that he would obey the Prime Minister instead of the Supreme Court” in the event of a legal crisis.
Bar further alleged that Netanyahu asked him to use Shin Bet’s resources to collect information on participants and leaders of anti-government protests.
Netanyahu met with Bar last month to inform him of the dismissal, citing a growing distrust over time.
On April 8, Israel’s Supreme Court suspended the decision to dismiss Bar, allowing him to remain in office.
