Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich hits out against Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar during his Religious Zionism party’s weekly faction meeting, saying that he would fire Bar if it were up to him.
“If I were Netanyahu, I’d oust him on the spot,” Smotrich says, amid simmering tensions between the security head and the prime minister.
The far-right minister’s remarks come after Netanyahu reportedly pressured the Shin Bet head to resign during a meeting they held last week.
Bar told senior staff last week that he won’t step down until the hostages are returned and a state commission to investigate the October 7, 2023, attack is established.
Smotrich further accuses Bar of undermining the notion of personal responsibility and “entrenching himself in the position in an undemocratic manner.”
“The fact that he is not impeached is a failure of the political establishment,” the minister adds.
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From the Liveblog of
Monday, March 10, 2025
