Netanyahu decided to appoint a new director of counterintelligence

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will propose to the government in the coming days to fire the head of the counterintelligence Ronen Bar, the Prime Minister's cabinet announced on Sunday. The decision comes against the background of « Continuing Lack of Trust » in the chief of Shin Beth, the prime minister said.

According to Jerusalem Post last week, Netanyahu called on a bar to resign from his post, but he refused.

At a tense meeting, the Prime Minister told a bar that the government was « waiting for his service investigations and now it's time to hand over the keys. » Bar refused to resign and told Netanyahu that if he wanted him to go, he would have to fire him, N12 reported without citing a specific source.

The appointment of a new director of Shin Beth is within the framework of the government's powers.

Reuters claims the news is likely to cause criticism in Israel. Netanyahu and Bar's relations were often described in Israeli media as tense during the war against Hamas in Gaza. In a video statement, Netanyahu said he had long lost his confidence in a bar, and confidence in the head of the internal security service was especially important during the war.

The war was triggered by Hamas's surprising attack on October 7, 2023, massively considered the worst failure in Israel's security, which led to the deadliest day with 1200 killed and 251 taken as hostages in Gaza, according to Israeli data.

Currently, Shin Beth is part of an investigation into possible links between employees in the Netanyahu and Qatar office, which mediates in negotiations to end the fire between Hamas and Israel.