A key security briefing was held earlier on Thursday without Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, despite a High Court of Justice order requiring his participation, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Thursday.
The meeting, originally scheduled for earlier this week, was rescheduled and took place without Bar, whom Smotrich has openly criticized for failing to prevent the October 7 attack.
In a social media post, Smotrich accused the High Court of "imposing" Bar on the government and said he has no intention of cooperating with him. "From October 10 onward, Ronen Bar is the Shin Bet chief by order of the High Court," he wrote, calling Bar a "colossal failure" and personally responsible for the intelligence collapse that preceded the attack.
׳אין סמכות ללא אחריות ואין אחריות ללא סמכות׳. זהו מושכל ראשון בכל מערכת חפצת חיים וזה לב ליבו של הויכוח סביב ההפיכה המשפטית שבוצעה כאן בעשורים האחרונים והביאה לניתוק אבסורדי בין סמכות ואחריות. ניתוק שמגיע כעת נקודת קצה סביב כפיית המשך כהונתו של רונן בר כראש השב"כ****היום…
— בצלאל סמוטריץ' (@bezalelsm) April 17, 2025
Smotrich claimed Bar ignored warnings on the night of October 6 and failed to alert political leadership, a decision he said cost over 1,200 lives and led to the abduction of around 250 civilians and soldiers. He argued that in any normal democracy, Bar would have resigned or been removed immediately.
The finance minister said he would no longer attend meetings in which Bar is present and called on the court to take full responsibility for the agency if it insists on keeping Bar in his role. "The court can enforce procedure, but it cannot force trust," Smotrich wrote.