Bennett said to yell at minister for lashing out at Shin Bet head over tracking

Reports in Hebrew-language media indicate a heated argument in the cabinet meeting over the re-introduction of a program allowing the Shin Bet security service to track individuals in quarantine.

According to the report, Minister Eli Avidar spoke out against the program, accusing the head of the Shin Bet of “falling in love with this tool.”

Ministers loudly rushed to the defense of Ronen Bar, who came into the role last month, with some reports indicating that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett yelled at Avidar “Who are you to smack-talk the head of the Shin Bet?”

The controversial Shin Bet tracking program, which had been utilized in the early stages of the pandemic, got the green light after the director of the agency reassured ministers it would be used in a limited fashion for a short period, and only for those infected with Omicron, according to the Walla news site.

Avidar (Yisrael Beytenu) made waves in the past for refusing to back coronavirus vaccinations, though he later said he had gotten the shot, ahead of being installed in the cabinet.