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March 17, 2025 | 04:43 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to dismiss Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar in a cabinet meeting this week, following ongoing tensions between them during the Gaza war.
In a video statement, Netanyahu explained his decision, stating that he had long lost trust in Ronen Bar. As reported by Al Arabiya, Netanyahu emphasized the importance of trust in the head of the domestic security agency, especially during wartime.
Tensions escalated as Shin Bet investigated potential links between Netanyahu’s office staff and Qatar, which has been mediating ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas.
Bar’s removal is expected to spark criticism in Israel, as it comes amid the country’s worst security crisis—Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and led to the abduction of 251 people to Gaza.
As of now, neither Shin Bet nor Ronen Bar has issued an official response to the dismissal plan.
According to Reuters, last week Netanyahu and Ronen Bar had a public altercation over the agency's reforms. Netanyahu accused Shin Bet of failing to anticipate the October 7, 2023 attack and accused Ronen Bar of extortion.
Additionally, Netanyahu accused Bar of being involved in threats and media leaks, in an attempt to prevent Netanyahu from making the necessary decisions to restore Shin Bet after failing to prevent the October 7, 2023 attack.
On March 4, 2025, Israel admitted to failing to prevent the Hamas attack in 2023.
Shin Bet retaliated by condemning the unfounded allegations. "Ronen Bar has dedicated all his time to security matters, efforts to bring back the hostages, and defending democracy," the state agency stated.
Ronen Bar has been leading Shin Bet since 2021. His relationship with Netanyahu has been tense even before the Hamas attack, especially due to proposed judicial reforms that divided the country before the assault.
The relationship became increasingly strained after the release of Shin Bet's internal report on the attack on March 4, 2025.
After taking responsibility for the failure, Bar added that there needs to be a broader investigation into the role of Israel's security and political elements and their cooperation to truly understand how the unprecedented attack happened without being prevented.
Netanyahu has demanded Ronen Bar's resignation before his term ends in October 2026. However, Israeli media has reported that Bar has refused to step down.
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