Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayhu published a video on Saturday in which he claimed, without providing evidence, that Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar opened an investigation into ‘Qatargate’ to prevent his dismissal.
Netanyahu also claimed that the decision to fire his security agency chief was made prior to the announcement that the security agency was investigating his office’s ties to Qatar.
“Ronen Bar will not remain head of the Shin Bet. There will not be a civil war, and Israel will remain a democratic state,” the prime minister said after opening the video by stating he had “dramatic revelations that will rock you.
“Israel is a state of law, and the law clearly states that the government has the right to dismiss the heads of security agencies before the end of their term. This is exactly what we have done.”
Netanyahu went on to dismiss fears that he may be in a conflict of interest over his involvement in firing Bar, claiming the decision to fire Bar was made long before he opened an investigation into Qatargate. “I felt that now was the appropriate time to fire him after he had presented the Shin Bet’s report into the events of October 7. I did the same with the former chief of staff [Herzi Halevi].
Netanyahu releases letter sent by Ronen Bar on October 7 probes
Netanyahu then presented a letter dated February 15, in which the Shin Bet chief responded to the prime minister’s letter from February 10, asking for an update on a request from February 1 to receive the findings of the Shin Bet’s investigation into the events of October 7 in two weeks’ time, which expired on the date of the letter.
In the letter, Bar requested an extension until February 27, which Netanyahu said he had granted.
Netanyahu falsely claimed, “On that very day, February 27, in the evening, in an unexpected coincidence that cannot be believed, the attorney-general [Gali Baharav-Miara] announced the opening of an investigation into Qatargate.”
On February 27, Baharav-Miara ordered Israel Police and the Shin Bet to launch an investigation into the affair.
However, the Shin Bet had previously confirmed two weeks prior to February 27, on February 15, that it had launched an investigation following suspicions of ties between senior officials in the Prime Minister’s Office and the State of Qatar, following a request for information from Labor MK Gilad Kariv. The Shin Bet clarified that the investigation is also taking place in other government ministries, not just Netanyahu’s office.
“The firing was not done to prevent the investigation; the investigation was done to prevent the firing,” the prime minister added.
In the letter published by Netanyahu, the Shin Bet chief wrote that his agency was “carrying out its probe with grave importance, in the same manner in which we treat the prime minister’s requests. We have attempted to clarify with you that such an important probe cannot be completed in two weeks unless shortcuts are made, which is a condition we cannot agree to,” Bar wrote.
“So far, no reason has been given for the demand to significantly shorten a lengthy process.”
In the letter, Bar also wrote that Netanyahu delayed giving approval to appoint an external committee by “four months, in a manner that forced me to delay and alter the process.”
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