‘Israeli democracy is in grave danger’: Netanyahu’s historic move to fire Shin Bet chief

For the first time in Israel’s history, the Prime Minister has decided to fire the head of the Shin Bet, Israel's powerful internal intelligence agency.

On Sunday, Benjamin Netanyahu informed Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar of his dismissal, which the Prime Minister says was made due to an "ongoing lack of trust". Bar has led the security service agency since 2022.

In a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office, Netanyahu announced that he would bring the issue to a cabinet vote this week. He did not consult Israel's Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara before the dismissal was made.

Baharav-Miara has since informed Netanyahu that the dismissal process would be delayed, citing the need for further legal examination.

If Bar is ultimately dismissed, it will mean that the Defence Minister, IDF Chief of Staff, and Shin Bet Chief — three key figures in charge during the October 7 massacre — will have been removed, while Netanyahu, the leader at the time, remains in power.

This is unlikely to enhance public trust in Netanyahu or his government at such a volatile time. Instead, it risks deepening divisions, distracting from national unity, and undermining public confidence in Israel’s security leadership, warns The Jerusalem Post’s Herb Keinon.

“One thing is clear: Israeli democracy is in grave danger at this moment, and the courts alone cannot be counted on to protect it. The Israeli people must decide if they will allow such a power grab, and if not, how far they are willing to go to stop it,” writes Amir Tibon in Haaretz.

“This is Israeli democracy’s ‘to be or not to be’ moment,” adds Alon Pinkas in Haaretz. “I rarely dramatise events, but this is the real deal. If this dismissal goes through, there may never be free democratic elections in Israel again. A pro forma, electoral pseudo-democracy, perhaps. But not a democracy.”

As Yossi Verter notes in Haaretz, the real issue is not a lack of trust, but loyalty. Bar, as a gatekeeper, prioritises the state's interests over personal loyalty to Netanyahu.

This pattern of removing independent figures has been seen before, including the dismissals of former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and former IDF Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi who were replaced with loyalists such as Israel Katz and Eyal Zamir, ensuring that key security figures align with Netanyahu's interests.

“The Prime Minister’s expectation of a duty of personal loyalty, which contradicts the public interest, is a fundamentally illegitimate expectation. It is contrary to the Security Agency Law and contrary to the statesmanlike values that guide the Shin Bet and its members,” Bar said in a statement.

Netanyahu's long-anticipated move has raised concerns among his political opponents that he will replace Bar with a loyalist, politicise the organisation, and potentially weaponise it against his critics and political rivals.

As Barak Ravid notes in Axios, this could lead to the Shin Bet being used to suppress opposition protests as the security agency has vast capabilities that, if misused, could give the government almost unlimited access to information about its opponents. It can also conduct secret investigations under the guise of state security concerns.

Following a meeting between Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump last month, a senior Israeli official stated the two leaders discussed "the deep state in Israel" and "the absurdity of dragging the Prime Minister to court three times a week while he is managing a war that is reshaping the Middle East".

Since that meeting, discourse around the judiciary and the "deep state" has intensified within Netanyahu’s inner circle, Ynet reported. “Netanyahu genuinely believes in the existence of a deep state and in a conspiracy by its operatives against him,” writes Nahum Barnea in Ynet.

Netanyahu’s decision to fire Bar comes after he recently approved an extremely sensitive investigation into disturbing ties between some of Netanyahu's closest aides and the government of Qatar. Such a revelation would mean that the same Gulf country that paid billions of dollars to Hamas has also allegedly paid large sums of money to people in Netanyahu's orbit.

The Shin Bet is currently investigating this matter, but the continuation of the inquiry is now in doubt following Netanyahu’s decision to remove Bar.

The dispute also centres on Netanyahu’s decision to allow Itamar Ben-Gvir, during his tenure as national security minister, to weaken police co-operation with the Shin Bet in arresting and prosecuting violent Jewish extremists who have attacked Palestinians, The Jerusalem Post noted.

Netanyahu and the Shin Bet have been embroiled in a recent series of public confrontations, including a striking interview last Thursday by former Shin Bet director Nadav Argaman on Channel 12.

Argaman, who led the agency from 2016 to 2021, openly declared that he had damaging information on Netanyahu and would expose it if the Prime Minister crossed a red line that Argaman, as a self-appointed gatekeeper, would define.

“It’s quite clear that I have a great deal of knowledge, which I can put to use… but I’m currently keeping everything that happened between myself and the Prime Minister out of the public sphere,” Argaman said.

“If the State of Israel or I conclude that the Prime Minister has decided to act in contradiction to the law, then I will have no choice and will say everything I know and have refrained from saying until today... Without democracy, we have nothing... If Netanyahu breaks the law, I will come out and tell everything I know about him."

On Friday, Netanyahu filed a police complaint against Argaman, accusing him of “threatening and blackmailing a sitting prime minister” during the televised interview. The Israel police subsequently announced on Sunday that Argaman would be summoned for questioning.

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A real warning: by firing the Shin Bet chief, Netanyahu is destroying Israel from within (Yossi Verter, Haaretz)

Netanyahu sacks Shin Bet chief: why now, and how big is the danger to Israeli democracy? (Amir Tibon, Haaretz)  

With move to fire Shin Bet chief, Netanyahu aims to tighten his personal control of Israel (David Horovitz, Times of Israel)

Netanyahu, emboldened by Trump's 'deep state' purges, goes after Shin Bet head (Ynet)

PM’s showdown with Shin Bet: A risky move during wartime (Herb Keinon, JPost)

Mass protests called against Ronen Bar firing. Can they stop the sacking? (Eve Young, JPost)

Behind Netanyahu-Bar feud: Gaza, West Bank security, and Qatargate (Yonah Jeremy Bob, JPost)

The confrontation between Netanyahu and Bar is pushing us toward a kind of civil war (Nahum Barnea, Ynet)

Netanyahu's firing of Shin Bet head is Israel's 'Weimar Moment' (Alon Pinkas, Haaretz)

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