Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political opponents have jumped on an affidavit submitted on Monday to the High Court by Ronen Bar, the head of Israel’s Internal Security Agency (Shin Bet), accusing the prime minister of acting in an illegal manner.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has denied the accusations by Bar, who was fired last month by the government. The PMO described his claims on Monday as “a false affidavit, which will be refuted in the near future.”
In the affidavit, Bar, who has been trying to hold onto his position as head of the secret service despite a March 21 government decision to fire him, admitted defeat, saying, “I will soon announce the date on which I will end my duties.”
Bar then accused Netanyahu of insisting “on more than one occasion” that he act contrary to the General Security Service Law.
Specifically, Bar claimed Netanyahu had asked him to act against anti-government protesters, provide details about them and investigate the source of their funding.
In response, the PMO said on Monday, “The head of the Shin Bet has failed miserably in dealing with incitement against the political echelon, including the calls for murder against the prime minister and incitement against the ministers.”
The Shin Bet director had “failed to prevent the firing of flares at the prime minister’s residence in Caesarea by violent demonstrators who nearly burned to death a security guard and set fire to the house,” it added, referring to the launching of two flares at Netanyahu’s private residence in November 2024.
“The prime minister and government ministers have claimed time and time again in government and cabinet discussions that no enforcement action is being taken against the wild and violent incitement against them and their families,” the prime minister’s statement said.
“Neither they nor the prime minister ever asked for illegal action against the demonstrators but rather demanded equal enforcement that has not yet been implemented,” it continued.
Bar also charged Netanyahu with telling him that in the event of a “constitutional crisis,” or clash between the Supreme Court and the government, Bar would be obligated to obey the latter.
The security chief also said that Netanyahu tried to force him to express Netanyahu’s opinions as if they were his own.
“In all such cases, these requests were denied,” Bar stated in his affidavit. “In many instances, Netanyahu asked me to discuss these criteria at the end of work meetings and made sure that the stenographer and the military secretary left the room so the exchanges would not be documented.”
The PMO has not yet submitted a court affidavit countering Bar’s claims. According to Ynet, the prime minister isn’t required to do so, and without one, the court can’t address the Shin Bet chief’s accusations.
Netanyahu might be tempted to let the matter lie, but has an interest in submitting a counter-claim rather than allow the security chief’s accusations to remain unanswered, the news site noted.
While failing to tell the truth in the affidavit could potentially open Netanyahu to criminal charges, there seems little risk as the truth would be difficult for the court to determine, Ynet said. Also, the High Court hasn’t convened to weigh in on that issue, but only on whether or not the firing of Bar was justified.
Bar submitted a second, confidential affidavit to the court, which he said would support his claims.
Netanyahu has reportedly been attempting to oust Bar for months, citing the Shin Bet’s failure in the run-up to the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks.
In his office’s Monday statement, Netanyahu said “Bar is the father of failure and he has to go home.”
Netanyahu announced on March 16 that he would seek Bar’s dismissal, citing a lack of confidence and “ongoing distrust.”
“At all times, but especially in such an existential war, the prime minister must have full confidence in the head of the Shin Bet,” said Netanyahu in a statement released by the PMO.
“But unfortunately, the situation is exactly the opposite—I do not have such confidence. I have an ongoing lack of trust in the Shin Bet chief. A distrust that has only grown over time,” he said.
The Cabinet unanimously approved the dismissal five days later.
Bar sent a letter to the Cabinet when it met over his dismissal (he refused to attend the meeting) arguing that the discussion “does not comply with the legal provisions and rules concerning the termination of any employee’s tenure, let alone a senior official, and especially the director of the Shin Bet.”
In his affidavit, Bar repeated, “I see no legitimate basis for my dismissal on the grounds of ‘lack of trust’ by the government and its leader.”
Bar’s dismissal has become the latest battle in an ongoing fight between Israel’s legislative and judicial branches.
On April 8, Israel’s High court issued an injunction barring Netanyahu from firing Bar. “Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet, will continue to serve in his position pending a different ruling,” the court said.
In its five-page ruling siding with the petitioners, the court alleged a conflict of interest on Netanyahu’s part given the Shin Bet’s investigation into claims that Qatar paid some of Netanyahu’s staff.
Supreme Court Judge Daphne Barak-Erez suggested during the 11-hour proceeding that Bar’s dismissal be put off until the conclusion of the investigation, which would put an end to the conflict of interest.
The government argued that according to Section 3 of Israel’s General Security Service Law, the government has the authority to “terminate the term of office of the head of the [Israel Security] Agency before the end of his term.”