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7 April – Jerusalem – The head of the State Camp party, Benny Gantz, has sharply criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his conflict with the head of the Shabak internal security service, Ronen Bar. This was reported by Israeli Channel 7.
“59 Israelis are still trapped in Hamas tunnels, rockets are being fired across the country, and the Israeli prime minister is waging a personal war within the security services,” Gantz said.
“The citizens of Israel deserve a leader who cares about their security, not his own political interests.”
Background to the conflict
The criticism came after Netanyahu openly accused Ronen Bar of abuse of power and questioned his right to investigate an internal case involving the recording of the head of the Jewish department of Shabak. According to the prime minister, Bar had no right to file a petition with the Supreme Court, in which he falsely accused the government of using the secret service against civilians.
“I have the right to defend myself against false accusations, especially when it comes to such a sensitive area as security,” Netanyahu said earlier.
Old accusations – new tensions
As Cursor previously wrote, Netanyahu claimed without providing evidence that Bar was aware of the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023, but did not warn the prime minister. This statement sparked a wave of criticism from the opposition and military experts, who saw the prime minister’s words as an attempt to avoid responsibility for the security failure.
The conflict between Netanyahu and Shabak is exacerbating political tensions at home amid the ongoing war in Gaza, threats in the north, and diplomatic challenges.
Against the backdrop of a general escalation in Israel, many observers see the prime minister’s behaviour as an attempt to shift the blame onto the security forces in order to avoid his own political responsibility.
