The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) is the Jewish state's primary internal security service, focusing primarily on internal security, exposing terrorist rings, and intelligence efforts in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Also known as the Shabak, it makes up one of the three arms of Israel's intelligence community, alongside the Mossad (foreign intelligence) and Aman (military intelligence).
Like the Mossad, despite being a security agency, the Shin Bet does not operate under the Defense Ministry and instead answers to the prime minister.
The current head of the Shin Bet is Ronen Bar, appointed in 2021 by then-prime minister Naftali Bennett.
According to Tal, Bar attempted to create a “false narrative. The job of the Shin Bet was to provide specific warnings of attacks, and not “general warnings” such as the ones issued in 2023.
All of the suspects were transferred to Israel Police custody for further questioning.
The affidavits are the result of a compromise proposal set by the High Court at the conclusion of a hearing on the legality of Bar’s firing on April 8.
Ronen Bar’s affidavit accuses the PM of a series of crimes. The attorney-general must step up, and the citizens should appreciate the danger.
As pressure mounts on Netanyahu, new claims from Shin Bet chief point to actions that could lead to the prime minister’s legal incapacitation.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich addressed Shin Bet employees in a letter on Tuesday, following the Monday affidavit submitted by the agency's chief.
Sukkot's comments came following Bar's submission of an affidavit to the High Court on Monday against his dismissal by the government.
Bar is fighting to preserve the Shin Bet’s independence, that of the next agency chief, and the ability of gatekeepers to stand firm against the Prime Minister.
Future prime ministers and Shin Bet chiefs need to know how far they can go and where there are guardrails.
Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar claims he called the prime minister at 5:15 a.m., but Netanyahu said Bar was making false claims.
JPOST Digital Library
