Israel's domestic intelligence chief fired, defying protesters

Israel’s Cabinet approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to fire the country’s domestic intelligence chief, defying thousands of protesters who rallied against his removal and those of other security and judicial officials.

The proposal to dismiss Ronen Bar, the head of Shin Bet and with whom Netanyahu has often clashed since the start of Israel’s multi-front conflict in October 2023, was approved unanimously in a vote late on Thursday, according to the government.

Bar, a 59-year-old Harvard graduate, will step down on April 10 or earlier if a successor is appointed before then.

The government resolution brought to a vote in the Cabinet said Bar, who’s been in the role since 2021, had a “misunderstanding of the subordination of the service and its head to the political echelon.”

More than 100,000 people gathered in Jerusalem over the past two days to contest what they see as an attempt by the government to dilute checks and balances on its actions. Demonstrations — the largest since the start of the war — turned violent on Thursday, with police and protesters clashing.

The government vote came days after a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel broke down. Israel began airstrikes across Gaza, which the Hamas-run health ministry said killed hundreds of people, and sent in a limited number of troops. Israel said the military operations are necessary to put pressure on the group — designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and others — to release hostages.

Israeli financial assets have come under pressure in the past month as the talks between Israel and Hamas have broken down, and with tension rising between Netanyahu’s government and key institutions. The shekel has lost 3.6% against the dollar, one of the worst performances globally.

Netanyahu and Bar quarreled over responsibility for the failure to foresee the Hamas assault of Oct. 7, 2023 — which triggered Israel’s conflicts — hostage negotiations and a probe into Israeli officials’ links to Qatar.

Under Bar, Shin Bet started an investigation into allegations that aides to Netanyahu were working with the Gulf state of Qatar to bolster its image, possibly risking state secrets. Netanyahu’s office has rebuffed the accusations.

Bar boycotted the Cabinet meeting. He issued a statement saying the resolution ministers approved was based on “unfounded claims that are nothing more than a cover” for “personal interests.” The claims, he said, are meant to prevent Shin Bet from pursuing its investigations.

Efforts to fire him escalated the confrontation between Israel’s government and institutions. In 2023, before Hamas’ attack, government plans to reduce the power of the courts set off months of mass protests and led to widespread anger against Netanyahu, who leads the most right-wing government in Israel’s history.

Those rallies and the onset of war led him to back away from implementing the entire judicial overhaul. But he’s stepped up those efforts again in recent months.

Netanyahu’s attempt to dismiss Bar drew criticism from Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who cited a conflict of interest in the move given the intelligence officer’s probe into his close aides.

Baharav-Miara is herself in the process of being impeached by the government for being “too confrontational” over its policies.

The Qatar investigation sparked outrage in the prime minister’s office, which called it “fake news.” Netanyahu’s opponents accuse him of firing Bar to threaten law enforcement agencies.

The premier says the opposite is true and that the investigation was launched to stop him from firing Bar. A survey published earlier this week by Israeli television station N12 showed 51% of the respondents believed the prime minister was ousting Bar for personal reasons.

“The takeover of the police, security forces, and law enforcement agencies has been used by leaders around the world to weaken democracy,” Suzie Navot, vice president of research at the Israel Democracy Institute said. “The red flags could not be bigger.”

Last year, Netanyahu fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who criticized the prime minister for failing to agree to a ceasefire with Hamas last summer and placing the lives of hostages at risk. He also promoted the conscription of Jewish Orthodox men to the military, upsetting some of Netanyahu’s coalition partners.

On Wednesday, Netanyahu accused “Deep State forces” of trying to undermine him.

“In America and in Israel, when a strong right wing leader wins an election, the leftist Deep State weaponizes the justice system to thwart the people’s will,” he said on X, echoing a favorite theme of U.S. President Donald Trump, his close ally. “They won’t win in either place!”

Netanyahu is widely expected to continue pushing for the impeachment of Baharav-Miara, the attorney general. He is barred from discussing her potential dismissal as he undergoes a corruption trial.

The Supreme Court may have the ultimate say over her and Bar. Israel’s parliament plans to vote on a bill next week that will change the composition of the Judge Selection Committee, giving the executive more power over the appointment of judges at the Supreme Court.

“For the time being, courts are still there to make sure of the proper manning of top positions,” said Gayil Talshir, an academic at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University.“The next frontier will be over these last barriers.”

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With assistance from John Harney.