Netanyahu's pressing to dismiss Israel's internal security chief arouses an outbreak

File – Ronen Bar, the head of the Security Agency in Israel, participates in a commemorative ceremony for the fallen soldiers from the wars of Israel and the victims of the attacks at the Military Cemetery in Herzl in Jerusalem, May 13, 2024.

Tel Aviv, Israel (AP) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired or forced a series of top officials from Hamas’s deadly attack on Israel in 2023, which triggered the Gaza war. The head of the country’s internal security is the newest target.

Netanyahu says he is motivated by a trusted crisis and the need to escape officials who have failed to prevent the disaster of October 7, 2023.

But Netanyahu’s many critics say that dismissal are part of a larger campaign, meant to undermine independent government institutions. They say they do this to increase their reputation and to maintain power while being judged for the alleged corruption and to face public pressure to accept their own responsibility for politics failures until October 7.

Netanyahu announcement on Sunday that he will seek to dismiss the director of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, came while the Security Service is investigating the links between Netanyahu councilors and the state of the Gulf Qatar.

Israel’s General Lawyer said Netanyahu must clarify the legal basis for his decision before making measures, mentioning that “The role of betting Shin is not to serve the personal confidence of the Prime Minister.”

On Monday, Netanyahu shot himself with a warning letter to prosecutor General Gali Baharav-Miara, saying that he has no authority to intervene in this regard. The dispute is added to the increasing concerns regarding the balance of powers in the government of Israel.

Months of tension preceded Bar’s dismissal

The tensions between Netanyahu and Bar had been built for months.

Bar, who was appointed to lead Shin bet in 2021 by a previous prime minister, accepted the responsibility for his agency’s failure to stop the attack on October 7th before time. He has already said that he intends to give up before the end of the mandate at the end of 2026.

But the Shin Bet investigation on his failures on October 7 also indicated the fault on Netanyahu for the formulation of a policy that focused on the contents of the Hamas, while ignoring an increasing threat.

Bar was a key player in negotiations to release the Hamas Israeli hostage. But he and Netanyahu differentiated themselves from the procedural mode. This caused Netanyahu to replace him with the minister of the cabinet, Ron Dermer, a Netanyahu confidant. Netanyahu’s critics said the movement highlighted an increasing tendency of Netanyahu to surround themselves from loyalists.

A pair of Shin Bet investigations recently launched against Netanyahu counselors seemed to be a tilting point.

One examines a Netanyahu spokesman, who was supposed to have leaked to a classified German press document that seemed to offer the prime minister a political coverage in the cessation of fire. The other analyzes the claims that Qatar has hired Netanyahu assistants to launch a public relations campaign in Israel.

Qatar, a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, was also the source of millions of dollars sent to Gaza, with Netanyahu’s approval. The money, obviously intended for poor families, are seen to help Hamas to strengthen their military capabilities before October 7th.

Movement for the quality government in Israel, a good government group said Bar’s dismissal, while the probes are undergoing concern that the move was made of “Political considerations”.

The Game of Paying of October 7 began

If Bar’s dismissal is approved by the government, he will become the first shin Bet chief of Israeli history that has been fired. But he will also be the most recent in a series of defense officials to come under the pressure of Netanyahu during the war.

In November, Netanyahu fired the Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, saying he lost confidence. Gallant repeatedly obtained Netanyahu to set a post -war plan for Gaza.

Gallant, a former peak general, was replaced by Israel Katz, a Netanyahu supporter for a long time, with a little military experience, who pressed the military chief, Lt. Herzi Halevi, to give up on the beginning of this month. The replacement of Halevi then fired the army spokesman, adm. Daniel Hagari, a popular figure with the public who was rebuked by Israeli leaders because he commented on the case of drained documents.

With many top defense officials related to the failures of October 7, the game of guilt on the most fatal attack in Israel’s history begins seriously.

Netanyahu has repeatedly tried to put his responsibility for his security bosses, saying he was never warned about Hamas’s intentions and was guided by their advice that Hamas had been discouraged.

Netanyahu has resisted increasing calls for a state investigation commission to examine government policies that led to Hamas’s attacks. Such a commission could directly involve Netanyahu.

The commentator Nadav Eyal wrote in daily Yediot Ahronot that Netanyahu is “To draw witnesses to his failures that led until October 7 and, doing this, creates a perfect alibi.

Netanyahu challenges state institutions for years

Bar’s dismissal comes against the backdrop of a one -year fight by Netanyahu against the institutions of Israel, which he considers to be.

Since being charged with corruption charges in 2019, Netanyahu has been against the police, the judicial system and the press, denying any crime and accusing them of conspiring in a politically motivated witch.

He made that fight one step further at the beginning of 2023. Then Netanyahu launched a great review of the Israel’s justice system, which he said was meant to weaken the courts and restore power to elected officials. The revision aroused mass protests, strikes and threats of military reservists in order not to serve a country whose democratic foundations were eroded.

The Israeli media reported that many top security officials, including the bar, warned that the internal fight sent a weakness to Israel’s enemies. Many critics think it was a factor at the time of Hamas attack.

Another Netanyahu target is Baharav-Miara, the general prosecutor of the country. The dispute regarding his objections to Netanyahu’s effort to pull the bar is likely to reach the Supreme Court. With the scene for a confrontation between the judicial system and Netanyahu, its allies have already begun to plan for the removal of Baharav-Miara.

In his letter to the Attorney General, Netanyahu on Monday accused Baharav-Miara of abusing her authority by approving investigations on members of his staff.

Netanyahu is surrounded by loyalists

The following elections are scheduled for the end of 2026, but Netanyahu’s coalition, supported by ultra-religious and ultra-religious parties, could collapse prematurely. They are facing an obstacle-insulting cork in the future of the Gaza war, the project of ultra-Orthodox men and the state budget.

With his political assets stagnant and many Israeli saying that he should resign, the Israeli leader for a long time – similar to his US President Donald Trump – is trying to place loyal in key positions.

This could facilitate the implementation of his wishes, but he will probably deepen the opposition to him and complicate his legacy.

Bar, in his response to being dismissed, said that his loyalty was towards the people of Israel.

“The expectation of the prime minister of a personal loyalty duty”, Wrote, “It is a fundamentally wrong expectation.”