Netanyahu Seeks to Shift Blame for October 7th to Shin Bet Chief
Translated & summarized from Calcalist by baba
Former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar may sue Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for defamation, as the two are embroiled in a public dispute over responsibility for the October 7th failures. Netanyahu appears to be attempting to shift blame for the security lapse onto Bar and the Shin Bet.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar may sue Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
- The lawsuit concerns blame for the October 7th massacre.
- Bar's affidavit revealed deep animosity between him and Netanyahu.
- Netanyahu has appointed loyalists to intelligence agencies.
- The article suggests Netanyahu is trying to deflect responsibility.
Former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar is reportedly considering a defamation lawsuit against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, though the article suggests such a suit is unlikely to be fully resolved due to immunity and the unsuitability of court for assigning blame for the October 7th massacre.
The animosity between Netanyahu and Bar became public in April 2025 when Bar submitted an unprecedented affidavit to the High Court of Justice as part of petitions seeking his dismissal due to Netanyahu's "lack of trust." Bar stated this distrust stemmed from Netanyahu's demands for security clearance exemptions for his trial and for the Shin Bet to operate in questionable democratic civilian spheres.
Netanyahu was reportedly angered by a statement in Bar's affidavit asserting the Shin Bet chief is not a "minister of trust" or "personal confidant" of the Prime Minister. Following Bar's resignation, Netanyahu appointed loyalists to head the Shin Bet and Mossad, a move the article likens to his strategy in his criminal trial of changing personnel to alter policy, a lesson he attributed to former U.S. President Ronald Reagan.
The conflict with Bar is seen as significant for Netanyahu's attempt to share responsibility for the October 7th failures, deflecting blame from himself. The article notes the Shin Bet has been linked to figures Netanyahu's coalition opposes, such as protest leader Shachaf Bresler and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, whose late husband was a Shin Bet agent.
Netanyahu's current attacks on Bar are framed as revenge for the affidavit and for Bar's perceived allies, as well as a response to numerous reports of ignored warnings about the October 7th attack, including from the UAE and Egypt, with recent U.S. backing for such publications against the Prime Minister. The article concludes that while Bar bears some responsibility, Netanyahu is responsible for the policy that enabled the failures, a fact Bar acknowledged but Netanyahu refuses to accept.
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