Smotrich said to have walked out of security cabinet last night as Shin Bet chief spoke

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich continued his boycott of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar during last night’s security cabinet meeting, according to leaked quotes published by Hebrew news outlets, and left the room rather than listen to him speak.

In one instance, Smotrich is said to have stopped Bar from responding after the security chief was asked about counterterrorism statistics in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and urged the cabinet secretary to speed the meeting along, pointing out that Bar would have an opportunity to speak later in the proceedings.

“It’s not feasible for everyone to interject,” the far-right Religious Zionism leader is quoted as having said.

However, when Bar was later given the opportunity to issue his opinion on the matters discussed in the meeting, Smotrich is said to have abruptly exited the room, saying he “needed to go to the bathroom,” and only returned once Bar had finished speaking.

The Kan public broadcaster reports that Smotrich also questioned why the security cabinet needed to hear the opinions of the Shin Bet chief in the first place, saying, “We heard the IDF chief of staff, we don’t need everyone.”

Last week, a scheduled security cabinet meeting was canceled after Smotrich announced that he would not attend if Bar was invited.

At the time, Smotrich’s office said he had informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of his decision, calling Bar a “dangerous man” who uses Shin Bet tools for “personal needs” and to “take revenge on politicians and journalists.”