Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief Ronen Bar is responsible for all “unlawful” arrests of West Bank settlers, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) announced on Sunday.
The announcement came after a senior Shin Bet official in charge of the Jewish Division, identified as A., suspended himself on Sunday for comments of arresting West Bank settlers without evidence or probable cause, according to a report by KAN News.
The PMO rejected this, stating that Shin Bet head Ronen Bar is preventing the investigation into the incident “because Bar was involved.”
This came after recordings emerged referring to suspects in the West Bank as “shmucks” and claiming that they arrest individuals “even without evidence” for a few days.
These recordings also state that the arrests are handled directly by Bar’s office, PMO alleged.
The new Shin Bet chief will deal with investigations into A.’s actions, PMO added.
A., stated that “I misspoke in a manner inconsistent with the values of the service and my own values, and therefore, in order to enable a thorough examination and out of a duty to set a personal example, I am suspending myself from my position as head of the division until the completion of a comprehensive investigation into the matter.”
The recordings also seem to have shown A. telling Superintendent Avishai Moalem to put Jewish detainees “in detention cells with mice,” KAN added.
Moalem is currently under suspicion in a case involving associates of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Moalem is accused of leaking classified information to Ben-Gvir and allegedly engaging in inappropriate conduct while managing crime in the West Bank.
Reactions from political figures
KAN reported a reaction from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who sent a request to the National Security Council asking to convene the security cabinet to discuss A.’s actions.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir welcomed A.’s suspension as “an important step in cleaning house” in Shin Bet, and called for his dismissal.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin asked the attorney-general why no action was taken regarding the recordings and why the policy was approved by the attorney-general.
The PMO criticized the situation as posing “a real danger to democracy,” adding that “Only in dark regimes does the secret service operate in such a dangerous way. There will be no dark shadow government within the state of Israel.”
Shin Bet responded by stating “This conversation referred solely to lawbreakers suspected of terrorism who took the law into their own hands. However, given that the content and tone of the remarks are not consistent with the values and professional conduct of the service, the head of the service has ordered a review with the division head, and the findings will be presented to him.”
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