Ronen Bar said to have told bereaved families he’s ‘committed to resigning’ by May 15
Law enforcement agencies may examine whether Bar’s explosive affidavit over his dismissal by the government raises suspicion of criminal wrongdoing by Netanyahu, Hebrew media reports
Jeremy Sharon is The Times of Israel’s legal affairs and settlements reporter
Shin Bet head Ronen Bar promised an organization of families of fallen soldiers that he would resign his post by May 15 in a recent meeting with representatives, the group said Tuesday as the spy chief continues to resist efforts by the government to fire him.
The right-wing Gvura Forum, representing dozens of families of fallen soldiers in the current war, underlined what it said was Bar’s commitment to them in an open letter to the security chief which it published on Tuesday, demanding he honor that pledge.
Bar himself stated in an affidavit to the High Court of Justice on Monday that he intended to announce a date for his resignation in short order, although did not say when that would be.
The disclosure of Bar’s apparent commitment to resign in the coming weeks is significant, since it would likely mean the High Court could avoid ruling on petitions against his dismissal by the government, which the court froze in March, and so avoid a possible constitutional crisis.
Following Bar’s explosive allegations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his affidavit, Channel 13 reported that agencies in the Justice Ministry, meaning the Attorney General’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office, would evaluate whether Bar’s allegations raise suspicions of criminal wrongdoing by the prime minister.
The Attorney General’s Office has declined to comment on the issue.
Netanyahu has until this Thursday to decide whether to submit his own affidavit in response to Bar’s. He may refrain if he believes he cannot effectively refute Bar’s allegations, for which the security official provided various documents and other forms of evidence in a separate, classified affidavit that Netanyahu has seen.
Affidavits are a formal, legal declaration and making a deliberately false statement in such a submission constitutes a criminal offense.
Bar was fired by a decision of the cabinet on March 21 on Netanyahu’s recommendation after the prime minister said he had lost faith in Bar’s ability to do his job. But several government watchdog groups alleged that the decision had been tainted by a conflict of interest over criminal investigations into Netanyahu’s aides, and by severe procedural problems in the dismissal process, and petitioned the High Court to reverse the decision.
In Bar’s publicly available affidavit to the court as part of the proceedings, Bar accused Netanyahu of pressuring him to help the prime minister postpone his testimony in his criminal trial, and of asking him to use the Shin Bet to act against anti-government activists involved in legitimate political protest.
Channel 13 reported that the prime minister is leaning toward not filing his own affidavit because it will be difficult for Netanyahu to refute Bar’s claims due to the evidence he submitted.
Failure to submit an affidavit in response to Bar’s allegations would mean that the court would essentially accept the Shin Bet chief’s version of events as true.
The Prime Minister’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Times of Israel, although on Monday Netanyahu rejected Bar’s submission as “a false statement.”
One of Bar’s central allegations in his affidavit was that Netanyahu and his office tried to have the Shin Bet chief sign and submit to the Jerusalem District Court a professional position paper drafted by the prime minister’s aides stating that Netanyahu could not testify in court on a regular basis due to security considerations.
Bar reportedly included the draft document in the classified affidavit he submitted alongside the publicly available one.
If such pressure was brought to bear on Bar, it could constitute obstruction of criminal proceedings.
Pressuring Bar to use the Shin Bet’s resources against legitimate political protest could be considered an abuse of governing powers for political or party purposes that would constitute fraud and breach of trust.
The Gvura Forum in its letter said that Bar’s continued tenure as head of the Shin Bet was harming the country and exacerbating the tensions between the judiciary and the government.
“Sir, in a conversation with several bereaved families, including myself last week in your office, you pledged to end your position no later than May 15,” wrote Gvura Forum chair Yehoshua Shani in the open letter on behalf of the organization.
Shani implored Bar to “Keep your word,” adding that he should give notice of the date on which he will resign “immediately” and before next week’s national remembrance day Yom HaZikaron, calling on him “not to add pain and division to our brokenness.”
Also on Tuesday, MK Meirav Cohen of the opposition Yesh Atid party filed a letter to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara calling on her to warn the government that it was violating part of the High Court’s interim order freezing Bar’s dismissal.
When the court froze the government’s decision to fire Bar, it stated explicitly that the prime minister and the government were not authorized to change their working relationship with the head of the Shin Bet.
Cohen pointed to a report by Kan News on Monday night that Netanyahu held a meeting on security issues relating to Gaza on Sunday that included the head of the Mossad, the head of the National Security Council, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, but Bar was not invited.
“I ask you to make clear to the prime minister and to ministers that they cannot continue to act this way which in a crooked but unambiguous way violates the High Court’s interim order,” wrote Cohen.
“It must be remembered that no one is above the law, and everyone must obey the High Court,” said Cohen.
On Tuesday, Smotrich told the Kol Barama radio station that in an upcoming security cabinet meeting he would leave the room when Bar speaks to go to the bathroom or have a cup of coffee, as part of his ongoing effort to boycott the Shin Bet chief.
Smotrich also sent an open letter to Shin Bet personnel describing Bar’s actions as “illegitimate” but saying he has “full trust and appreciation” for the work of the agency.
Also Tuesday, the leaders of the opposition announced that they had gathered enough lawmakers’ signatures to hold a special Knesset session during the current parliamentary recess in order to discuss Bar’s allegations of misconduct against Netanyahu.
Sam Sokol contributed to this report
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