PM’s move to fire Shin Bet chief ‘fundamentally flawed’: Israel attorney general
Israel’s attorney general has criticised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s dismissal of internal security chief Ronen Bar saying it’s “tainted by a personal conflict of interest”.
“The decision to terminate the tenure of the head of the Shin Bet is fundamentally flawed, tainted by a personal conflict of interest on the part of the prime minister due to the criminal investigations involving his associates,” a spokesperson for Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara said in a statement.
The move will lead to the “politicisation” of the position, it added.
Shin Bet chief accuses Netanyahu of acts ‘against the citizens’
The tumult between the head of Israel’s domestic security agency Shin Bet and Prime Minister Netanyahu continues with an explosive allegation that Israel’s leader pressured Ronen Bar to tell judges he couldn’t testify at his corruption trial.
In a letter submitted to the High Court, Bar said his firing was initiated after he refused Netanyahu’s request. Pressure was also exerted on him to carry out actions he described as “against the citizens of the state”.
Netanyahu and Bar have been at loggerheads for months amid tensions over a bribery investigation focused on the Prime Minister’s Office and recriminations over the failure to prevent the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks on southern Israel.
Bar previously said his removal was motivated by a desire to halt the “pursuit of truth” about the events leading up to October 7.
‘Full of lies’: Netanyahu hits back at fired Shin Bet chief
The office of the Israeli prime minister has hit back against Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet security agency that Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to dismiss.
Earlier today, Bar alleged in a letter to Israel’s Supreme Court that Netanyahu had asked him to tell judges that the prime minister must not testify at his own corruption trial because of “security reasons”.
“This statement is full of lies,” said the Prime Minister’s Office in a statement, adding Netanyahu has never “used the organisation’s powers inappropriately against Israeli citizens”.
The distrust towards Bar is rooted in “undermined professional trust”, particularly revolving around the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks, it said.
The Prime Minister’s Office said the Shin Bet chief is “the only one motivated by personal motives” because he insists on keeping his position despite “losing the trust of the entire government”.
