Israel’s domestic security chief, Ronen Bar, on Monday, April 28, announced that he will step down on June 15 due to differences with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Bar was fired by Netanyahu in March, however, the decision was challenged by Bar’s attorney, and the Supreme Court stayed the move. While announcing the decision, Bar said he had chosen a day which symbolises remembrance, heroism and sacrifice.
Bar further said that Israeli officials who failed to prevent the October 7 offensive should bow their heads humbly before those who were killed, wounded, or taken hostage, and act accordingly. The domestic security chief’s sacking led to a protest in Israel.
The tiff between the two leaders reflects the rift in Israeli politics and society between the right-wing and hardliners supporting Netanyahu and the more liberal elements in the country, who took to the streets to protest against the government’s moves to curb the powers of the judiciary for many months before the Hamas offensive.
It centres on Netanyahu’s insistence that he fired the Shin Bet head for professional failures.
However, Bar denied accusations by Netanyahu and his associates that the domestic security agency had failed to issue timely warnings about Hamas’s unprecedented October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza.
The domestic security chief had contested the sacking in a legal case that polarised the country. In an affidavit before the Supreme Court, Netanyahu described Bar as a “liar”. The comment came almost a week after Bar made a sworn statement to the court in which he accused Netanyahu of demanding personal favours.
“The accusation, according to which I allegedly demanded action against innocent civilians, or against a non-violent and legitimate protest during the protests of 2023, is an absolute lie,” Netanyahu said in his court statement, Al Jazeera reported.
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