Nava Freiberg is The Times of Israel's deputy diplomatic correspondent.
President Isaac Herzog attends a state ceremony for fallen Israeli soldiers whose burial place is unknown at Mount Herzl Military cemetery in Jerusalem on March 6, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
President Isaac Herzog commends Shin Bet Chief Ronen’s Bar announcement that he will step down from his role in June.
“Ronen has repeatedly acknowledged his own failure, and that of the Shin Bet, as part of the systemic breakdown that led to the disaster of October 7,” writes Herzog in a post on X, saying Bar’s decision “is the correct step, reflecting an acceptance of responsibility.”
Herzog thanks Bar for his service and highlights the contributions of the Shin Bet, adding that the security agency “must not be dragged into politics, and politics must not be allowed to infiltrate it.”
The president recommends establishing “a broad and professional state commission of inquiry” into the events on and surrounding October 7, 2023, to “thoroughly investigate the failures and the lessons that we, as a society that cherishes life, must learn.”
Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar announces that he will step down from his position on June 15, in an address at a memorial event for fallen Shin Bet personnel, April 28, 2025. (Screenshot)
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