Shin Bet rejects Netanyahu accusation that Ronen Bar was guest at Qatar World Cup

The Shin Bet rejects a claim by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the head of the security agency, Ronen Bar, was a guest of Qatar during the 2022 World Cup.

The agency clarifies in a statement that Bar’s presence in the stadium where the games were held was part of strictly professional security preparations to ensure the safety of Israelis attending the World Cup and that his trip was approved by Netanyahu in advance.

“This was not a case of watching a game, but rather a tour and series of work meetings, some of which were held in the stadium during the World Cup matches,” the statement reads.

Ahead of the event, an international command center was established by Israeli security agencies, requiring the heads of the Mossad, the Shin Bet, and IDF Intelligence to conduct a work trip to monitor the operations of their agencies and the protection of Israelis in the arena, says the Shin Bet.

Certain professional meetings with relevant experts and officials were held, “at the request of the hosts,” within the stadium where the games were held, the statement continues.

The statement comes in response to a comment made by Netanyahu earlier this evening in a video he posted defending one of his top aides arrested in the ongoing Qatargate investigation, in which the premier and members of his inner circle are suspected of accepting bribes from Doha.

In the video, the premier says Bar repeatedly visited Qatar due to his role in Israel’s hostage negotiating team and that the Shin Bet chief repeatedly praised Qatar’s role in those hostage talks. Bar also visited Qatar before the Gaza war and was invited into the honorary guest box at the World Cup — a ticket that Netanyahu claims would typically cost tens of thousands of dollars.