From the Liveblog of
Monday, February 17, 2025
Lapid, Gantz implore Netanyahu not to fire Shin Bet chief now
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid and National Unity party chairman Benny Gantz both call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to fire Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, as he is reportedly planning to do soon.
Bar is a “brave and honest man who took responsibility for October 7” and “this is not the time to fire him, not when sensitive negotiations are taking place about the continued release of our hostages,” Gantz tells reporters ahead of his party’s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset.
Bar is currently part of Israel’s hostage negotiating team, although Channel 12 news reported earlier this month that Netanyahu is considering removing him from that position.
“To the prime minister, I say – there are moments when petty politics must not influence major moves. If you fire him for political reasons – you will harm the security and resilience of the state. You will harm our hostages,” and for that “you will never be forgiven,” Gantz says.
“Those being investigated cannot fire their investigators,” Lapid says ahead of his own Yesh Atid party’s faction meeting.
“Ronen Bar should step down, but only after he completes two steps – the return of the hostages, and the investigation into the infiltration of the Prime Minister’s Office by an Arab country.”
The Shin Bet said over the weekend that it will be investigating officials in Netanyahu’s office, presumably including his former spokesman Eli Feldstein, for alleged illicit ties to Qatar. Feldstein, who is separately charged with harming national security in a case involving the theft and leaking of classified IDF documents, was allegedly paid by Doha to feed top Israeli journalists pro-Qatar stories, Hebrew media reported.
“The prime minister’s closest aides received a lot of money. This is no longer just corruption and lawlessness, it is a dangerous attack on national security. Qatar bought itself influence within Netanyahu’s office with money. If he knew this, he is a criminal. If he didn’t know this, he lost control of his office at a time of war and he is incompetent,” Lapid says.
Last night, Kan news reported that the prime minister is planning to remove Bar from his post in the near future. There have long been reports that the premier wants Bar to depart. The Prime Minister’s Office previously dismissed such claims as “completely unfounded.”
Kan says that once the security agency completes its internal probes into the failures of October 7, Netanyahu will demand Bar’s departure, either through his resignation or by a cabinet decision to remove him from office.
The Times of Israel Community.