Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday informed the head of the Shin Bet, the country's internal security agency, that he will ask the government to dismiss him.
Netanyahu and Shin Bet agency chief Ronen Bar have been engaged in a public spat in recent weeks over reforms to the agency, which has been accused of failing to prevent the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack.
"Due to ongoing lack of trust, I have decided to bring a proposal to the government to end the tenure of the Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar," the prime minister said in a video statement.
Tension has been building between Israel's political leadership headed by Netanyahu and the country's security and military apparatus over who is to blame for failing to prevent Hamas's unprecedented attack.
"We are in the midst of a war for our very existence... during such an existential war, there must be complete trust between the prime minister and the head of the Shin Bet," Netanyahu said.
"I have had a persistent lack of confidence in the head of the Shin Bet, a distrust that has only grown over time."
He said Bar's dismissal "is necessary to restore the organisation, achieve all our war objectives, and prevent the next disaster."
Bar's term is due to expire in October 2026.
Netanyahu has accused him of being behind what he called "part of an ongoing campaign of threats and media leaks" aimed at preventing him "from making the necessary decisions to restore the Shin Bet after its devastating failure on October 7".
On March 4, the Shin Bet acknowledged its failure in preventing the Hamas attack, saying that if it had acted differently the deadliest day in Israel's history could have been averted.
The attack resulted in 1,218 deaths on the Israeli side, mostly civilians. Israel's retaliatory response in Gaza has killed at least 48,572 people, also mostly civilians, according to data from both sides.
In a statement admitting responsibility for failures, Bar said, however, that in order to truly understand how the attack was not stopped, there needed to be a broader probe into the role of Israel's security and political elements -- and the cooperation between them.
Bar has led the Shin Bet since 2021, but his relations with Netanyahu were strained even before the Hamas attack, notably over proposed judicial reforms that had split the country.
Relations became even more strained after the March 4 release of the internal Shin Bet report on the attack.
The report said that "a policy of quiet had enabled Hamas to undergo massive military buildup.".
Bar's responsibilities appear to have been curtailed already.
Media reports say he was excluded from a recent security cabinet meeting and also the Israeli negotiating delegation, which is being led by Bar's deputy, known only as 'M'.
Bar had been involved in previous sessions of indirect negotiations with Hamas, including those that led to the current fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
AFP
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