‘Israeli official,’ said to be Netanyahu, pushes conspiracy that Ronen Bar knew ahead of Hamas attack but didn’t act to stop it

As the cabinet deliberates the dismissal of Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, an “Israeli official” accuses the spy chief of doing nothing to stop the Hamas October 7, 2023, attack even though, the official claims, Bar knew it was going to happen beforehand.

“Ronen Bar preferred not to attend the government meeting [tonight] dealing with his case, simply because he was afraid of giving answers,” says the official, whom Channel 12 identifies as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself, “and especially of answering one question: Why, after you knew about the Hamas attack many hours before it happened, did you do nothing and did not call the prime minister – something that would have prevented the disaster?”

“If Ronen Bar carried out his role like he is now clinging on to his job, we would not have reached October 7,” the official charges.

Netanyahu has sought to place the responsibility for the colossal failure on the shoulders of the security establishment, arguing he was not woken up when signs of an impending attack were being picked up by Israel’s intelligence services in the hours before Hamas’s invasion and slaughter.

The unfounded allegation of advance knowledge of the Hamas attack has been peddled online, including by pro-Netanyahu conspiracy theorists, against Israel’s security chiefs since soon after October 7, but not directly advanced by the prime minister.

The official also accuses Bar of “clinging to his seat while cynically exploiting the families of the hostages and using his position politically to fabricate futile, unfounded investigations.”

The fiery statement comes after Bar, in a letter earlier tonight, accused Netanyahu of harming Israel’s security and getting in the way of negotiations to reach a hostage release deal.