Netanyahu’s push to fire Israel’s chief of domestic security sparks an uproar

Israeli Security Agency chief Ronen Bar had accepted responsibility for his agency’s failure to prevent the Hamas attack. File photo
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fired or forced out a string of top officials since the deadly Hamas attack in 2023 that triggered the war on Gaza. The country’s domestic security chief is the latest target.

Mr. Netanyahu says he is motivated by a crisis of confidence and a need to get rid of officials who failed to prevent the Hamas attack.

But Mr. Netanyahu’s many critics say the dismissals are part of a broader campaign aimed at undermining independent government institutions. They say he is doing that to boost his reputation and maintain power while on trial for alleged corruption and facing public pressure to accept his own responsibility for policy failures in the lead-up to October 7.

The announcement by Mr. Netanyahu on Sunday that he would seek to fire the director of Israel Security Agency, Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, came as the security service investigates ties between Netanyahu advisers and the Gulf state of Qatar.

Israel’s Attorney-General said on Sunday that Mr. Netanyahu needed to clarify the legal basis for his decision before taking any action, noting that “the role of the Shin Bet is not to serve the personal trust of the Prime Minister.”

On Monday, Mr. Netanyahu shot back with a warning letter to Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara, saying she has no authority to intervene in the matter. The dispute adds to growing concerns about the balance of powers in Israel’s government.

Tensions between Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Bar had been building for months. Mr. Bar, who was appointed to lead the Shin Bet in 2021 by a previous Prime Minister, accepted responsibility for his agency’s failure to halt the Hamas attack ahead of time. He already has said he planned to step down before the end of his term in late 2026.

But the Shin Bet investigation into failures also pointed blame at Mr. Netanyahu for formulating a policy that focused on containing Hamas, while ignoring a growing threat.