Ex-Shin Bet Chief Sues Netanyahu Over October 7 Blame

Former Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar has instructed his lawyers to file a defamation lawsuit against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The suit stems from Netanyahu's accusations that Bar was responsible for failures preceding the October 7 Hamas attack. Bar's legal action, announced via a statement published by Maariv, also seeks to compel the disclosure of documents related to intelligence Netanyahu received before October 7, including his meeting schedule with security officials and foreign representatives. Bar further intends to call Netanyahu's aides and staff as witnesses, alleging they participated in a campaign against him.

"Until now, Ronen Bar believed it was right to wait for the establishment of the commission that society and the families of the fallen deserve. However, this series of lies cannot be allowed to continue," the statement read. Bar accuses Netanyahu of distorting facts, selectively releasing documents, and manipulating records, urging the Prime Minister to publish all materials for public review.

The dispute intensified following a Wall Street Journal report claiming that former Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel personally warned Netanyahu of an impending Hamas attack days before October 7, with Egypt reportedly issuing further warnings up to 48 hours prior, though lacking specific details on timing or scale.

Netanyahu denied these claims, stating he had no contact with Kamel in the months before October 7 and that Israeli intelligence did not relay Egyptian warnings to him. He also announced his intention to sue The Wall Street Journal. Concurrently, Netanyahu assigned responsibility for the events of the night before the attack to security chiefs, asserting that Bar discussed alarming signs with then-IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and head of Military Intelligence Aharon Haliva, but failed to contact the Prime Minister, order local forces to be warned, or evacuate the Nova music festival.

Ronen Bar countered these assertions by stating he had repeatedly warned Netanyahu of the escalating threat before October 7, recommending deterrence measures and border reinforcement, but claimed these warnings were ignored.