Security rift? - Escalating tensions between Netanyahu and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar

Tensions between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) Director Ronen Bar have become increasingly hostile in recent days, exposing divisions between the government and security establishment over accountability for significant intelligence and operational failures leading up to the October 7 Hamas attacks in 2023, which resulted in over 1,200 deaths and the kidnapping of 251 hostages. 

While tensions started even before the October 7 Gaza War, in the past year, following the failure to come to a hostage-ceasefire agreement several times, Bar himself has been more openly critical of Netanyahu. In return, Netanyahu began to be more critical of Bar, although initially refraining from mentioning him by name. 

In a recent cabinet meeting over the issue of appointing a state commission of inquiry, Netanyahu refused to allow Bar into the meeting, and would not allow a written statement from Bar advocating for a state commission, which was to be read to the cabinet. When asked by the attorney general why he wouldn’t allow Bar’s opinion to be shared, Netanyahu reportedly responded, saying, “He is a bureaucrat. What has he got to do with the decision to set up an inquiry commission?” 

In February, Netanyahu also removed Bar from the hostage negotiations team, replacing him with Strategic Affairs Advisor Ron Dermer, who he also appointed head of the team. Shortly after the replacement, a source in Netanyahu’s office claimed that the anonymous leaks of details regarding the negotiations by “a security official” had ceased. 

“Now, you don’t have any leaks – everything was leaking before. It’s like [the previous team] were on a different side or something,” the source claimed. 

Ronen Bar was appointed as the head of Shin Bet (Israeli domestic intelligence) in October 2021 by then-Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. Bar, a veteran intelligence officer, was seen as a stabilizing figure for the agency at the time of his appointment. However, his relationship with Netanyahu has been strained, starting with the controversial judicial reforms pushed by Netanyahu’s government starting in 2023. 

Bar was an outspoken critic of the security implications of the protests and social divide sparked by the coalition’s decision to push the reforms through the Knesset rapidly. In July 2023, just before a key reform bill passed, Bar warned Netanyahu that internal division caused by the legislation was weakening Israel’s deterrence and risking war – possibly with Hezbollah in the north – or in Judea and Samaria, which was seeing an increase in violent attacks. Tensions between the two escalated further in the aftermath of the October 7 attack. 

Following the attacks, Netanyahu demanded that both the IDF and Shin Bet conduct internal investigations into the failures leading up to and including October 7, even as he resisted calls from the general public, security officials, and survivors of the attacks to establish a state commission of inquiry. 

The tension escalated further with reports that Bar had proposed assassinating former Hamas military leader Yahya Sinwar a week before October 7. Netanyahu rejected the proposal at the time, apparently fearing an escalation with Hamas – a decision now under scrutiny as critics argue it could have pre-empted the attack. 

While an internal Shin Bet investigation into the October 7 failures, released Tuesday evening, acknowledged some agency failings, it also blamed external factors, including government policies on Hamas and internal coordination problems between Shin Bet and the military. The probe concluded that the Shin Bet might have prevented the attack had it acted differently, including its decision not to escalate the alert status following Hamas’ activation of hundreds of Israeli SIM cards the evening of October 6, 2023, however, the agency did not fully take responsibility for the intelligence failures. 

Netanyahu, himself, has repeatedly deflected personal responsibility for the attacks, accusing high-ranking security officials, including Bar, and former IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi – who officially stepped down today – of mishandling the situation. He has also resisted calls for an independent state commission of inquiry into the October 7 failures – a step supported by almost all the security officials. A state inquiry has also been called for by survivors of the attacks, families of the deceased, the returned hostages and families, much of Israeli society, and even some of Netanyahu’s political allies, including Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar. 

Netanyahu has argued that such an inquiry must wait until the war ends, claiming it risks politicization by the judiciary, by his political opponents, and by the “deep state.” Instead, the prime minister has called for the resignation of military and security officials, including Bar, while often hinting at a conspiracy within the security echelon to discredit him through leaks meant to make him look bad in the eyes of the public. 

Following the release of the Shin Bet internal investigation, Netanyahu’s associates publicly criticized Bar, claiming that he failed to grasp the extent of the Hamas threat and did not draw the proper conclusions from the available intelligence. 

The prime minister's accusations included complaints that Bar did not alert him in time, despite prior knowledge of a Hamas attack plan known as “Jericho Walls” that had been discussed since 2018 and contained many elements of the October 7 attacks.

Netanyahu’s coalition partners, particularly from the far-right – the Jewish Power and Religious Zionism parties – have joined his attacks on Bar. Former National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, a vocal Bar critic due to the Shin Bet chief’s condemnation of settler violence, recently called for Bar’s dismissal. 

Opposition political figures, such as Yair Lapid and Avigdor Liberman, who have been intensely critical of Netanyahu since the coalition government assumed power in early 2023, have accused him of prioritizing his political survival over national security. 

Additionally, the Shin Bet’s ongoing investigation into alleged ties between Netanyahu’s aides and Qatar – a key Hamas financier – has fueled speculation that the prime minister’s push to oust Bar is a protective maneuver to shield his inner circle. Netanyahu has said the investigations into his staff are part of a “witch hunt.” 

The ongoing acrimony between Netanyahu and Bar has led to speculation that Netanyahu may attempt to remove Bar from his post in the near future. If so, it would likely provoke further political unrest from the opposition and the security establishment, as well as from many of the October 7 hostages, survivors, and their families. Such a move would likely be opposed by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, potentially exacerbating the already fraught relationship with the judiciary. It could also deepen the rift between the coalition government and the security establishment, potentially undermining morale within Shin Bet and other intelligence agencies. 

According to recent reports, Bar told Shin Bet leadership he would not step down until all of the hostages are returned and a state inquiry is established. 

The tension between Netanyahu and Bar reflects broader political battles in Israel, where national security, political maneuvering, and personal accountability intersect. The shockwave from the October 7 attacks continues to shape Israel’s political landscape. The ongoing clash over responsibility highlights the country's deep political divisions and the loss of trust in both politicians and the nation’s stalwart institutions.