Israel Briefing Day 532: Netanyahu government fires Shin Bet chief

The government has approved Netanyahu’s plan to fire the Shin Bet chief. The dismissed security chief, Ronen Bar, is key in driving an ongoing investigation into suspicions of inappropriate financial links between members of Netanyahu’s office and Qatar – a scandal dubbed Qatargate. Netanyahu insists that he is firing Bar because of failings around October 7, 2023, and because he has lost trust. However, 51 per cent of Israelis believe he was motivated by personal considerations according to polling, and Netanyahu is being lambasted by political opponents on both the left and right.

The poll, conducted by Channel 12 after Netanyahu announced the plan to fire on Sunday, found that just 34 per cent of respondents thought that the decision was based on professional considerations. Only 31 per cent supported the firing, while 46 per cent opposed it.

Netanyahu told ministers the move was due to a “lack of confidence” in Bar following the October 7 Hamas attacks. He accused Bar, who will leave his post on April 10, of failing to warn him in time and criticised Bar’s conduct in negotiations with Hamas. “He had a soft approach and was not aggressive enough” said Netanyahu. Thousands protested the move, marching to Netanyahu’s office, chanting: “We will never give up.”

In a livid letter, Ronen Bar claimed he was fired for the wrong reasons, questioned the legality of the step, and fumed over the fact it happened despite reservations of the Attorney General.

He said that there are “invalid motives” playing into the firing, portraying claims against his performance as “unfounded.”

He charged that Netanyahu’s actions “weaken the country internally” and that firing the agency head now “poses a direct threat to Israel’s security.”

He rejected the claim that he failed in negotiations – which yielded the latest ceasefire under his guidance – and said that his recent removal from negotiations has done nothing to advance them.

Bar rejected “unfounded claims” about his performance which he said conceal “invalid motives.”

He defended the probe into suspected links between members of the Prime Minister’s Office and Qatar, calling it “a paramount public duty entrusted to me.”

He said that Israel needs a “thorough, in-depth, and independent” state inquiry into the failures around October 7, a step that Netanyahu has opposed.

In the centre of the political map, National Unity leader Benny Gantz said the move “is a mark of Cain” for every politician who supported it. Opposition leader Yair Lapid charged that the “only motivation is Qatargate.” On the right, Israel Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman accused Netanyahu of “fighting the Shin Bet head,” and said it should have been the prime minister who left office, following failings of October 7. On the left, Democrats party leader Yair Golan called Bar’s letter “an unprecedented indictment” and insisted: “Bar must stay in role.”

Protest leaders called the dismissal a “political firing to obstruct probe.” They accused the government of sabotaging hostage deals intentionally.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s political allies defended the move. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar insisted that the cabinet has “clear authority” under the Shin Bet Law. Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter, a former Shin Bet chief himself, said: “In a situation of lack of confidence, there are two options: either the Shin Bet chief resigns, or he is fired. And if he does not resign, then he is fired.”

Eli Sharabi, former hostage, and husband and father of three British-Israelis murdered by Hamas, delivered an impassioned speech at the United Nations yesterday, denouncing the world’s failure to protect hostages. He accused Hamas of stealing humanitarian aid meant for civilians, stating that terror chiefs “eat like kings while hostages starve.” He spoke about his captivity in brutal detail, recalling 491 days of starvation, beatings, and psychological torment. Some of the most powerful quotes:

“Do you know what it means to open a refrigerator? It is everything. To take a piece of bread. I dreamt of this simple act every day.”

“I saw Hamas terrorists carrying boxes with UN and UNRWA emblems into the tunnel. Dozens of boxes, feeding terrorists who tortured me and murdered my family.”

“491 days. That is how long I starved, how long I was chained, how long I begged for my humanity. And in all that time, no one came.”

“I met President Trump. I told him: bring them all home. I met Prime Minister Starmer. I told him: bring them all home.”

“No more excuses. No more delays. If you stand for humanity – prove it. Bring them home.”

In a highly unusual address, President Isaac Herzog has released a video condemning the government’s handling of the war and decrying some of its actions as divisive. “It is unacceptable to send our sons to the front while leading deeply divisive moves,” he declared.

He demanded a full, independent investigation into October 7 – a move that Netanyahu is against. “Families plead with me every day to prevent further division,” Herzog said. “I will not stop until we reach national unity,” he vowed. He also defended state officials from Netanyahu’s attacks: “Civil servants are loyal and dedicated. They should not be targeted by political campaigns.”

Police have questioned former Shin Bet chief Nadav Argaman. Officers took this step after he suggested in an interview that if the PM acts in a way he considers illegal, he will share secret information about him. Netanyahu claimed that he engaged in blackmail.

In an apparent deepening of the so-called Qatargate scandal, Former Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon has claimed at least three Netanyahu associates were funded by Qatar. The saga involves claims that members of Netanyahu’s office were receiving money from Qatar and working on PR campaigns for the country. Ya’alon was quoted saying: “If Netanyahu knew, it’s a betrayal. If he didn’t, it’s a failure.”

Hamas is open to accepting “any proposal” for a ceasefire in exchange for hostage releases, according to a report from Qatari-owned media outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. The report said Hamas was surprised when the Trump administration rejected its latest offer.

Despite everything, Israel has ranked as the eighth-happiest nation in the World Happiness Report. This is a drop from fifth place last year but, according to the researchers behind the report, still leaves the country in high spirits.

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