Netanyahu’s office says Shin Bet probe into police ministry aims to topple government
As he works to dismiss Ronen Bar, PM accuses security service of undermining ‘foundations of democracy’; Ben Gvir says spy chief should be in jail amid reports of angry confrontation
A reported Shin Bet probe into Itamar Ben Gvir’s National Security Ministry is meant to bring down the elected government, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office alleged on Monday.
In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office claimed the investigation was “reminiscent of dark regimes, undermines the foundations of democracy, and aims to overthrow a right-wing government.”
A Channel 12 report Sunday night said that the Shin Bet, the internal security service, conducted a covert inquiry into the possible infiltration of extreme-right elements into the Israel Police following suspected political meddling in the force by Ben Gvir.
The PMO also said that the report’s claim that Netanyahu knew about the alleged probe was “another lie that has been shattered.”
The alleged investigation reached headlines after Netanyahu’s cabinet voted to dismiss Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar. Netanyahu told his government ministers last Thursday that he had lost faith in Bar after the October 7, 2023, Hamas assault on southern Israel.
Bar contested Netanyahu’s charges in a letter addressed to the cabinet ahead of its vote on Thursday, warning that the premier was taking steps that weaken the country “both internally and against its enemies.”
Bar’s firing, with the government’s plans to remove Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, has triggered massive nationwide protests.
In a statement, the PMO asserted, “The prime minister was never informed by the Shin Bet chief that he intended to collect evidence on the political echelon behind his back,” adding that the premier “did not give permission for this.”
Netanyahu’s office said that on June 19, 2024, Bar told Netanyahu about his suspicions about the infiltration of far-right Kahanist figures into the police.
“The prime minister unequivocally instructed the Shin Bet chief to present to him support for this claim, to raise it directly and immediately with the national security minister, and in no way to act behind the minister’s back,” it said.
According to the PMO, Bar agreed but never presented the evidence.
Accusations and confrontations
Bar told ministers on Sunday night that their ongoing accusations against him would lead them to execute him, according to quotes reported by Channel 12. “Yesterday you accused me of treason, today you are threatening to send me to jail, tomorrow you will execute me,” he reportedly said.
In the same security briefing, Ben Gvir “lost his senses” as he argued with Bar, and had to be calmed by Mossad chief David Barnea and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, according to Channel 12.
Ben Gvir’s office told the outlet that there was no physical altercation and that the two sat at opposite ends of the table.
Ahead of his far-right Otzma Yehudit party’s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset on Monday, Ben Gvir said that Bar should be incarcerated.
“Ronen Bar conspired against the democratic state, he ordered the collection of incriminating information against a government minister. He is a criminal, a danger to democracy, and he belongs in prison,” he told reporters.
“It’s no longer a question of impeachment; Ronen Bar should sit in prison,” he repeated. “In any normal country, he’d be in a dungeon right now on suspicion of attempting a coup.”
It’s no longer a question of impeachment, Ronen Bar should sit in prison.
In response to Ben Gvir’s allegations against Bar, Opposition leader Yair Lapid said, “The National Security Offender who dares to speak like this about the head of the Shin Bet is proof that the Israeli government has lost all its inhibitions.”
The Shin Bet issued a statement late Sunday night denying opening the investigation mentioned in the Channel 12 report, despite an initial reaction that appeared to confirm it. The second statement clarified that “there was no Shin Bet investigation on the matter, toward police or politicians, and there is no Shin Bet probe now either.”
Benny Gantz, chairman of the opposition National Unity party, slammed Netanyahu’s actions on X Monday morning, saying, “Netanyahu’s assault on state institutions will end in disaster.”
Also on Monday, Negev, Galilee and National Resilience Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf from Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party addressed Gantz and Lapid on X, writing, “You lost in democratic elections. You are a weak opposition.”
Wasserlauf went on to accuse opposition members of staging an anti-democratic coup, warning, “[When] your attempted coup collapses…law and order will hold those who tried to violate them accountable.”
Tensions between Bar and Netanyahu had been mounting since the October 7 Hamas attack, with the premier blaming the Shin Bet for intelligence failures. The fallout deepened over “Qatargate,” an ongoing police-Shin Bet investigation into the PMO’s ties to Qatar.
According to a Channel 13 report, six-figure sums were transferred from Qatar to Netanyahu’s aides indirectly via various intermediaries, including one company owned by Jonatan Urich, a senior adviser to the premier who has served as spokesman for the ruling Likud party.
Netanyahu’s critics argue that his dismissal of Bar and attempts to remove Baharav-Miara are part of a broader effort to consolidate power and weaken oversight institutions. Meanwhile, right-wing coalition members continue to frame the allegations as evidence of an attempted coup against their government.
