Netanyahu's bid to fire head of Israel's internal security service ignites firestorm

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision Sunday to seek the dismissal of the head of Israel's internal security service has triggered a fierce political backlash, deepening divisions between the opposition and his ruling coalition.

“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.

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

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

Tensions between Netanyahu and the Shin Bet have escalated following the agency's internal investigation into the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel by the Palestinian group Hamas. Netanyahu dismissed the report's findings, saying they failed to answer key questions.

The investigation's findings prompted opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz to demand an apology from Netanyahu, accusing him of deflecting blame.

Lapid labeled Netanyahu's latest decision “shameful” on X, accusing him of “losing his nerve and eroding values.” He charged that the prime minister prioritizes personal interests over national security, a jab at Netanyahu's efforts to cling to power.

“All his slander and attempts to shift blame won't help—he's the primary one responsible for the Oct. 7 disaster,” Lapid said, vowing to challenge the move in the Supreme Court.

Several military and intelligence officials have resigned over the failures of Oct. 7, but Netanyahu refuses accountability.

Channel 12 reported that the government's legal adviser, Gali Baharav-Miara, requested a meeting with Netanyahu to discuss the dismissal.

Meanwhile, Yair Golan, head of the opposition Democrats party, called it a “war on Israel” on X, alleging that Netanyahu aims to silence investigators probing his circle.

“As inquiries widen and expose shady ties, he grows hysterical, inciting, firing and threatening to neutralize law enforcers,” Golan said, pledging fierce resistance.

Benny Gantz, another opposition lawmaker and former war cabinet minister, warned on X that sacking Bar “directly harms state security” and risks fracturing Israeli unity for political gain.

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, from Netanyahu's Likud party, backed the move on X, calling Bar a “dictator under a security guise” whose tenure threatens Israel's safety and democracy.

Far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir, the leader of the Jewish Power party, also hailed the move on X, saying “better late than never” and urging the right to emulate US President Donald Trump in dismantling the “deep state” to restore public trust.

Netanyahu's push to oust Bar, detailed by the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, could spark new political unrest and protests within security and political circles.

Since forming his right-wing government in December 2022, he has faced sharp criticism over judicial reforms.

Domestically, he shrugs off opposition demands for early elections.

A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which took hold in January, halted Israel's brutal military campaign on Gaza, which has killed more than 48,500 people, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November last year 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.