Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar refuted allegations by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other federal government authorities declaring that Israel’s domestic intelligence company had advance caution of the October 7 Hamas attack and stopped working to appropriately alert authorities.
In an official affidavit sent to the High Court of Justice on Monday as part of a continuous disagreement over his termination, Bar explained accusations versus him as “institutional incitement” targeted at discrediting him and the Shin Bet. Bar acknowledged that the Shin Bet ensured mistakes in examining intelligence on the night of the attack, however stressed he personally took definitive actions in action to “uncommon however not unambiguous signs” late on October 6.
According to Disallow, around 11 p.m. on October 6, he notified the leader of the IDF’s Gaza Department, its intelligence systems, and the IDF’s Southern Command about suspicious activity. At 3:03 a.m. on October 7, the Shin Bet released an alert to all security companies concerning “uncommon preparations and the possibility of offending intents by Hamas,” though Bar yielded this alert was not adequately extreme– a failing he freely acknowledged. Bar personally got to Shin Bet head office at 4:30 a.m. and by 5:15 a.m. had actually directed personnel to upgrade the prime minister’s military secretary about the circumstance.
Bar’s affidavit even more exposed previous cautions provided to Netanyahu concerning the progressively tense security environment. In July 2023, Bar stated he clearly alerted the prime minister of a “war alert,” a term he referred to as extraordinary for a Shin Bet chief. In addition, Bar stated he warned the federal government that domestic political stress coming from its questionable judicial overhaul might be seen by opponents as a chance for attack. He advised preventative procedures to bring back Israel’s deterrence.
Reacting dramatically to Disallow’s affidavit, Netanyahu’s workplace identified the Shin Bet chief’s claims a “incorrect affidavit,” including, “Bar’s submission will be refuted in information in the future. Stay tuned for more.”
The Shin Bet chief’s declaration became part of his action to being dismissed by Netanyahu’s federal government, a relocation Bar argues was politically encouraged. Bar implicated Netanyahu of shooting him not based upon expert imperfections, however rather since of expectations that he stay personally faithful to the prime minister– even in cases of constitutional crisis where the judiciary and federal government clash.