Ronen Bar: Netanyahu’s expectation of loyalty to him first is ‘fundamentally illegitimate’

Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar responds to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement that he will be removed from office, saying that the premier’s decision is not related to the failures tied to October 7.

“The duty of loyalty placed on the Shin Bet is first and foremost to Israeli citizens. This underlies all my actions and decisions,” Bar says. “The prime minister’s expectation of a duty of personal loyalty, the purpose of which contradicts the public interest, is a fundamentally illegitimate expectation. It is contrary to the Shin Bet law and contrary to the statesmanlike values that lead the Shin Bet and its members,” he adds.

Bar notes that Shin Bet’s internal review of the failures that led to October 7 “pointed to a policy led by the government, and the person who has headed it, for years, with emphasis on the year preceding the massacre. The investigation showed a longstanding and deliberate disregard by the political echelon for the agency’s warnings,” he continues.

Bar says he intended to continue in his role until the hostages are returned and until he completes several “sensitive” investigations — likely those related to the Prime Minister’s Office — and when his two potential successors are ready.

After some outlets took that part of the statement to mean Bar was refusing to be fired, the Shin Bet in a clarification says Bar told Netanyahu in their meeting that “whatever decision is made, he will respect the law.”

In his statement on the dismissal, Bar says: “As someone who headed the Shin Bet on October 7, I took responsibility for the agency’s part and clearly stated that I intend to act on it before the end of my tenure. That is what is expected of everyone. Therefore, it is clear that the intention behind my firing is not related to October 7. The prime minister made it clear that the decision was due to his claim there is ongoing distrust between us.

“The Shin Bet, under my leadership, carried out a thorough investigation that pointed to intelligence and internal process failures on October 7, the repair of which has already begun,” Bar says.

He says that “the need to investigate all parties, including government policy and the prime minister, and not just the IDF and the Shin Bet, who have been thoroughly investigated, is needed for public security. If I do not insist upon this, with all the personal prices I will pay, I will fail in my role of providing state security,” he says.

“Investigating to uncover the truth is of utmost importance in the Shin Bet. The public has a right to know what led to the massacre and the collapse of Israel’s security,” Bar continues.

He says that his “public responsibility was at the base of my decision to continue in my position in the near future, in light of the [military] escalation potential, the high security tensions and a real possibility of returning to fighting in the Gaza Strip, in which the Shin Bet has a key role.”

Bar also says that he wanted to “follow through on my personal commitment and the commitment of the agency to the hostages; the completion of a number of sensitive investigations; and the optimal readiness of the two candidates to replace me, at the prime minister’s choice.

“In a previous meeting, I informed the prime minister that I intended to complete the above before I resigned from my position in coordination with him, in light of my responsibility to the public, the security of the state, and the functioning of the Shin Bet for the benefit of the State of Israel,” he says.