Ex-Shin Bet Chief Sues Netanyahu Over Dismissal Conflict

Former Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar is preparing a defamation lawsuit against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, seeking to compel the disclosure of documents related to the period before the October 7th Hamas attack. Bar's legal team has instructed attorneys to file the suit, demanding Netanyahu release all meeting schedules with security officials and foreign dignitaries, meeting minutes, and all warnings conveyed to the Prime Minister prior to the attack. Bar also intends to subpoena members of Netanyahu's staff and advisors.

According to a statement from Bar's representatives, Netanyahu is engaged in a "baseless incitement campaign" to deflect criticism from himself, selectively releasing documents out of context. Bar initially believed it was best to wait for a state investigation but changed his mind due to what he described as factual distortions and misleading information. The lawsuit aims to "defend the truth, the memory of the fallen, and the honor of Shin Bet employees."

Netanyahu responded on social media platform X, refuting media reports that he received a warning from former Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel before October 7th. Netanyahu stated he had no meetings or conversations with Kamel in the months leading up to the attack and that no Israeli intelligence official conveyed such a warning to him. He sharply criticized Bar and the media, calling it a "vile and false campaign" to shift blame for Bar's alleged failures before October 7th onto the Prime Minister.

Netanyahu also claimed that on the night of October 7th, Bar spoke multiple times with then-IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and head of Military Intelligence Aharon Haliva about alarming signals. However, Netanyahu asserted that Bar "chose not to call and inform the Prime Minister, not to warn civil defense units and IDF forces in the field, nor to evacuate participants of the 'Nova' festival."