Israel’s domestic security chief says he will step down in June, defusing battle with Netanyahu

Ronen Bar, chief of Israel's domestic Shin Bet security agency, attends a ceremony marking Memorial Day for fallen soldiers of Israel's wars and victims of attacks at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl military cemetery, May 13, 2024. (Gil Cohen-Magen/Pool photo via AP, File)

TEL AVIV, Israel — TEL AVIV, Israel — The head of Israel’s internal security service says he will resign in June over the failure of his agency to warn of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks -- defusing an escalating battle with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar announced his resignation Monday, saying he will formally step down June 15.

“After years on many fronts, one night, on the southern front, the skies came down,” Bar said during remarks at a memorial event for fallen Shin Bet soldiers. “All systems collapsed. The Shin Bet also failed to give a warning.”

Netanyahu moved to fire Bar last month over what he said was a crisis of confidence surrounding Hamas’ attack. But the step sparked an uproar in Israel because the agency is investigating ties between the Israeli leader’s office and Qatar -- a key mediator between Hamas and Israel over the war in Gaza.

Critics said the firing was tainted by a conflict of interest meant to derail that probe, a charge Netanyahu denies.

Israel’s Supreme Court froze the firing following multiple legal challenges against it and called on the sides to reach a compromise.

In his address, Bar said the court case “is not about my personal case but about the independence of the next heads of the Shin Bet.”

He said the agency’s “proper functioning is of inestimable importance to the security of the state and to Israeli democracy. I have been fighting for this for the past month, and this week the necessary infrastructure was laid before the High Court of Justice. I hope that the ruling that will be given will ensure that the Shin Bet will be preserved as such, over time and without fear.”

Bar filed a document with the Supreme Court last week that accused Netanyahu of trying to exploit the power of the agency for political and personal gain. Among the accusations, he claimed Netanyahu wanted him to spy on anti-government protesters and pressured him to effectively scuttle Netanyahu’s corruption trial by claiming the prime minister could not testify due to security concerns.

Netanyahu called the accusations lies and responded with his own accusations against Bar.

Netanyahu frequently complains of a “deep state” of civil servants and unelected judges that he says are out to topple him. Good governance groups say the Shin Bet chief is meant to be an independent figure and fear that Bar’s ouster will clear the way for Netanyahu to place a loyalist into the sensitive post.

The Shin Bet is responsible for monitoring Palestinian militant groups, and Bar has previously acknowledged his agency’s failures in preventing Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. But in a report issued in March, the Shin Bet also criticized Netanyahu, saying failed government policies helped create the climate that led to the attack. Netanyahu has tried to blame the failures on the army and security agencies and repeatedly resisted calls for an official state commission of inquiry that would look into the government decision-making as well.

Bar follows a number of senior security figures to resign or be fired in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack -- including the former defense minister and army chief.

Speaking at the memorial, Bar said everyone who “failed to provide a security blanket that day must bow our heads in humility before the murdered, the dead, the wounded, the kidnapped and their families and act accordingly. Everyone.”

The Qatar investigation is the latest in a series of scandals to hit Netanyahu. The Shin Bet is looking into allegations that close advisers worked as paid consultants for Qatar --- an Arab country that does not have full diplomatic relations with Israel -- while also working for the prime minister. Netanyahu, who is on trial for a series of corruption charges, has not been directly implicated in the scandal.

Netanyahu early this month attempted to name a former navy commander as the new Shin Bet chief. But he was forced to cancel the appointment less than 24 hours later after learning that his nominee had participated in anti-government protests.