Conflict escalates between Netanyahu, Shin Bet chief due to 7 October defeat

Conflict and exchanged accusations have escalated between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar over appointments in the intelligence agency following the 7 October, 2023, defeat.

Netanyahu accused the head of Shin Bet on Thursday of leading a campaign to prevent him from making the necessary decisions to reform the agency after its catastrophic failure on 7 October.

In a statement issued by his office, Netanyahu relayed: “A full-scale campaign of blackmail through media directives in recent days has been led by the current Shin Bet chief, Ronen Bar. The only goal is to try and prevent me from making the decisions needed to restore Shin Bet after its abysmal failure on 7 October.”

In his statement, Netanyahu addressed former Shin Bet chief Nadav Argaman, saying: “This evening, another dangerous red line was crossed in Israeli democracy.”

It is worth noting that Argaman threatened, in a statement to Channel 12, to reveal information about Netanyahu if he engaged in illegal actions.

Netanyahu responded: “Never, in the entire history of Israel, and the history of democracy, has the former head of a security service blackmailed a sitting prime minister on live television.”

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Shin Bet defended its chief against Netanyahu’s accusations, calling them “serious”. A statement read: “These are serious accusations against the head of a national organisation in the State of Israel. Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar devotes all of his time to security issues, efforts to return the hostages and protecting democracy. Any other statement on this matter is baseless.”

In recent days, disagreements between Netanyahu and Shin Bet have intensified after the prime minister criticised the results of an investigation conducted by the agency into the events of 7 October.

On Tuesday, Shin Bet admitted its failure to properly assess Hamas’s capabilities before 7 October. It implied that Netanyahu was responsible for shaping a failed policy over the years, according to the Israeli Broadcasting Authority.

Following the release of the Shin Bet investigation, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid and Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz called on Netanyahu to apologise, asserting that he was trying to shift the blame.

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority posted on X that the Shin Bet report indicated that Netanyahu had developed a failed policy over the years.

Shin Bet also concluded that there were gaps and problems in the handling of intelligence information in general and in the mechanisms for monitoring intelligence work, particularly on the night of 7 October.

It stated that it believed that Hamas was preoccupied with the West Bank and that was one of the reasons for its failure to warn of the attack on 7 October.

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