JERUSALEM: The head of Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, was dismissed on Friday (Mar 21), according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
Netanyahu last week cited an “ongoing lack of trust” as the reason for moving to sack Ronen Bar, who was appointed in October 2021 for a five-year term.
“The government unanimously approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to end ISA Director Ronen Bar’s term of office,” a statement said.
Bar, meant to end his tenure only next year, was appointed by the previous Israeli government that briefly forced Netanyahu from power between June 2021 and December 2022.
His relations with Netanyahu were strained even before the unprecedented Hamas attack on Oct 7, 2023, which sparked the war in Gaza, notably over proposed judicial reforms that had split the country.
Relations worsened after the Mar 4 release of the internal Shin Bet report on the Hamas attack.
It acknowledged the agency’s own failure in preventing the attack, but also said “a policy of quiet had enabled Hamas to undergo massive military buildup”.
Bar had already hinted that he would resign before the end of his term, taking responsibility for his agency’s failure to prevent the attack.
