Itzik Bonzel, a bereaved father whose son, Amit, was killed fighting in Gaza in December 2023, submitted an affidavit over the weekend supporting the government’s firing of Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief Ronen Bar.
A charged High Court of Justice hearing took place two weeks ago on the legality of Bar’s firing, with the judges hearing arguments by the government for his firing and by the Attorney-General’s Office and petitioners against it. Responses from Bar, the government, and possibly also the court are expected today and tomorrow.
Before the hearing, Bonzel shouted in the packed room that the whole discussion was a waste of time and an embarrassment. Bar should resign to honor the responsibility he bore in the October 7 massacre, and as he had already said that he would resign, taking time to debate the legality of that firing was shameful, said the bereaved father.
During the hearing, the judges heard from representatives of some bereaved families – including from Bonzel himself.
Bonzel included in his affidavit a dedication in a book that Bar had given him during a meeting between the two held after the hearing.
Inside a book by former UK chief rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, the Shin Bet chief had written to Bonzel, “There is no leadership without responsibility and accountability. Leadership, therefore, is measured much more accurately by the degree to which leaders take responsibility after a failure rather than the praises they get for their successes. Anyone who failed to prevent the October 7 massacre carries that responsibility – including myself, and this is a duty which I will fulfill soon.”
Bar to resign soon?
During a news blitz last week, Bonzel claimed that in the meeting, Bar told him he would fully resign from his position soon – within the next few weeks or at most two months from now.
“The conversation lasted for over two hours at his request. It was difficult both for us and for him,” Bonzel told 103FM last week.
He continued, “This is a man who, if he had taken responsibility, as he should have, and done things properly, my son, Amit, would be alive today... And I am not the only one; there are hundreds, if not thousands, of other Israelis who have been hurt by this.”
He said that his main demand of Bar was to know when he would resign and “stop hurting this holy agency [the Shin Bet].”
Sarah Ben-Nun contributed to this report.