Were visitors from another planet—unfamiliar with Israel but well acquainted with the workings of other human societies—to have landed here on Monday, they would have been baffled by the upheaval surrounding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s intention to fire Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency).
They would have been confused because so much of what they would witness ran counter to what they might have predicted.
For instance, they might have assumed there would not be protests and threats of widespread civic unrest over the intent to sack Bar, whose agency was tasked with preventing precisely the kind of attack that occurred on October 7 -- leaving the country violated and devastated.
They might have expected that everyone responsible for that catastrophic failure would have long since resigned or been removed from office, including the prime minister himself.
In many governments, a leader in Netanyahu’s position might have a Harry Truman-like sign on his desk reading, “The buck stops here.” No such sign sits atop Netanyahu’s desk, and no such sentiment—judging by his refusal to establish a state commission of inquiry into the failures of October 7 or step down—resides in his heart. That alone would have surprised the alien visitors.
And they might have assumed that if anyone took to the streets over the firing of a secret service chief, it would be on the Right -- not the Left. In most places, the Left champions the civil liberties that the secret services are so often accused of trampling.
And these visitors might have reasoned—if told that in March 2023, a similar attempt by the prime minister to fire a top security official, then-defense minister Yoav Gallant, had sparked mass protests—that this time, too, a wave of spontaneous demonstrations attended by tens of thousands would erupt at the news of the intent to fire Bar.
Yet everything they would see here would have contradicted their expectations. Much of the public is objecting to the firing of Bar despite his role in failing to foresee, warn, or prevent the catastrophe of October 7.
Netanyahu remains firmly in power, while all those who shared responsibility for the October 7 failures—the former chief of staff, head of military intelligence, head of the IDF Southern Command, defense minister at the time, and now, perhaps, the head of the Shin Bet—have either stepped down or been forced out.
And the loud voices raised in defense of Bar are coming from the Left -- again, a counterintuitive turn. Just as surprising is the fact that, unlike in Gallant’s case, tens of thousands have not flooded the streets in protest.
Why not? As Channel 12’s Amit Segal noted Monday, a poll last week showed that 64% of the public thinks Bar should resign, and only 18% wanted him to stay. So why would they take to the streets to oppose something they themselves believe should happen?
To the alien visitors, the contradictions would seem endless: a public pleading for the head of an intelligence organization that failed to see what was going on in Gaza on October 7 to stay on; a prime minister clinging to power while all his subordinates fall away; the Left defending the head of the secret service.
To outside eyes, none of it makes sense.
Two other things must appear inexplicable.
The first is how, despite the calls from bereaved families, returning hostages and the families of hostages, and returning reservists for national unity—something they argue Hamas and Israel’s enemies fear most--—the country is once again descending into bitter division.
The public keeps calling for unity, unity, unity, yet the politicians, street activists, and parts of the media persist in promoting and delivering the exact opposite.
And the most incredulous thing of all: after more than 16 months of war and national trauma, Israel -- at least internally -- is reverting back to October 6 with cries of “dictatorship,” “an end to democracy,” “deep state control,” and a “leftist witch hunt.” The barricades are back up, and the sides standing on either side are almost identical to those who faced off during the pre-October 7 judicial reform protests of 2023.
The trigger for the latest wave of demonstrations threatened strikes, and warnings of a coup are the Bar firing, not judicial reform. But the lines and the loyalties remain the same. In the end, it all comes down to pro-Bibi versus anti-Bibi. Those opposing Bar’s firing are anti-Netanyahu; those in favor are his supporters. Old wine, new bottle.
Wars, in general, fundamentally change societies. It’s staggering how -- at least on this issue -- so much in this country has remained the same.