Prime Minister Netanyahu seeks to dismiss the head of the intelligence agency
Take a seat! Here's the scoop on Israeli PM, Bibi Netanyahu, planning to can Ronen Bar, the head honcho of the Shin Bet internal security service. His mistrust for Bar's guidance has been growing, and a spat over the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, didn't help matters.
Political Drag Possible US Hostage Release? US Gov't Knocks Hamas Offer The Shin Bet's job is to keep a close eye on Palestinian extremist groups. They dropped a report about two weeks ago claiming responsibility for the intelligence slip-up surrounding the terrorist attack. But they didn't hold back on Netanyahu, either, stating that somemessed-up gov't policies had fostered the environment for the attack.
Tempters and Threats
Things heated up over the weekend when Bar's former boss, Nadav Argaman, hinted he'd spill some top-secret beans on Netanyhu if it turned out the PM had broken any laws. Netanyahu fired back, calling Argaman a blackmailer and reported Argaman to the cops. The Shin Bet has stayed mum about the PM's big announcement.
Political Joust Trump's Gaza Resettlement: USA, Israel Court East African Countries If Bar gets the boot, Netanyahu might replace him with a trusty sidekick, slowing down any potential commission of inquiry into the terrorist attack.
Disagreements out in the Open
Netanyahu's been turning down calls for a proper commission of inquiry into the October 7 attack. Instead, he's been trying to pin the blame on the military and security agencies. Several high-ranking security officials, including a former Defense Minister and a military big-shot, have either been shown the door or forced to step down in recent months. Bar was one of the last high-ranking peeps still on board after the October 7 incident.
Netanyahu's also ticked off because the Shin Bet's digging into his staff's connections to Qatar. Bar's got a hand in hostage negotiations, too. Awhile back, Netanyahu booted Bar from the hostage negotiation team and appointed his loyal buddy, Cabinet Minister Ron Dermer, to take over. Israeli news outlets have been chattering about deep political clashes between the hostage deal pushers and Netanyahu, who's still dangling the threat of war.
The Movement for Quality Government in Israel thinks Netanyahu's move against Bar is a straight-up war on the rule of law. The PM's power to act against Bar is limited due to ongoing investigations into his own office.
Source: ntv.de, mpe/AP
Enrichment: This move by Netanyahu is controversial due to several factors, including investigations into his aides' ties to Qatar, the Shin Bet's intelligence failures surrounding the October 7 attack, potential political motivations, and legal disputes over his authority to dismiss Bar.
All these factors lead to an intense political clash between Netanyahu and Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar. The Commission has also been consulted on the draft directive on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to carcinogens, potentially having implications for the ongoing investigations regarding the unauthorized activities of Qatar in Netanyahu's office. The dismissal of Bar could offer an opportunity for Netanyahu to replace him with a loyal ally, affecting the potential commission of inquiry into the October 7 attack and its intelligence failures.
