Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief Ronen Bar has dragged the agency into politics, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir (Otzma Yehudit) said in an interview with Anat Davidov and Udi Segal on 103FM radio published on Wednesday.
"Ronen Bar has been obstructing me for the past two years. I want to see a national Shin Bet, not a political one. Unfortunately, Ronen Bar has taken it in a political direction," he said
"Ronen Bar doesn’t always want to sit with us. When I speak in cabinet meetings, Ronen Bar walks out. Don’t blame just one side," the minister noted, adding, "This is a banana republic."
"We all know, and the recordings that are being exposed, but the head of Shin Bet cannot decide to overthrow a democratically elected government—he tried to perform a targeted assassination on me," Ben-Gvir claimed.
He addressed reports suggesting Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was boycotting the Shin Bet chief, causing a security briefing scheduled for last night to be canceled."I think minister Bezalel Smotrich acted correctly. It’s not a childish move but a statement. There’s a Shin Bet head here who wants to make a rebellion, who doesn’t accept that there is a Jewish people in Israel. The people voted for one thing, and that doesn’t suit him."
When asked why he had not spoken out regarding the Qatargate affair, Ben-Gvir replied, "I don’t believe them or their conduct. If someone took money from Qatar, that’s very serious, but I think they’re proving they want to overthrow the prime minister and overthrow Itamar Ben-Gvir. Not all of Shin Bet is like this; there are also honest people, like the one arrested yesterday."
Military operations in Gaza
With regard to IDF's activities in the Gaza Strip, Ben-Gvir emphasized the need to escalate military operations: "I want many more terrorists dead, I want to bomb their electricity, bomb their food supplies, and I also want to encourage voluntary migration. The population there is asking for it, and we need to provide it," he said.
He rejected concerns that halting humanitarian aid would harm the 59 hostages still held in Gaza: "I’ve heard this a thousand times. When I opposed humanitarian aid, all security agencies told me it was going to the hostages. After hearing the testimonies, we saw it was a lie; nothing got to them. I’m for tearing Hamas apart, that’s my stance," said Ben-Gvir. He added: "The hostages are my brothers as much as my children. I want us to defeat Hamas. If we don’t tear them apart, in one or two years they’ll do another October 7. That’s Hamas."
Ben-Gvir characterized the current government policy on Gaza as "in the right direction, and that’s good," explaining that this is why he and his party returned to the government. However, he stressed that stronger action was needed: "I want to see many more terrorists dead, to bomb their electricity and food supplies, and to encourage voluntary migration. The population there wants this and is asking for it."
When questioned about the actions versus his aspirations, Ben-Gvir responded: "Some of my dreams have come true. How do I get such public support? This has been the quietest Ramadan we’ve had in 20 years. I know that you’ll never praise Itamar Ben-Gvir. I established 1,000 alert units and added 200,000 gun permits. I’m not saying everything is perfect, that the police are flawless or the prison service is perfect, but where I’ve been involved, you see the change."
He also said he wouldn’t stay in the government at any cost: "I’m the only one who resigned when something crossed my red lines. My party and I left the government. I came back when they went back to war, stopped the aid, and wanted to fire the Shin Bet head and the attorney general."
Regarding the ongoing negotiations between the US and Iran, the Cabinet minister said: "These matters need to be discussed behind closed doors. I hope all US officials understand the danger; for all the good people, Iran threatens us all.
"Ultimately, we need to understand that Iran poses a threat to the US as much as to Israel. It threatens all of us," the minister said.