Opposition Slams Netanyahu After Former Shin Bet Chief Files Defamation Lawsuit

Opposition figures sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday following a NIS 3 million defamation lawsuit filed against him by former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar. The lawsuit stems from a September 28 post on X, formerly Twitter, in which Netanyahu accused Bar of intentionally withholding intelligence from him prior to the October 7 Hamas attacks, alleging "failures and crimes" by the former Shin Bet head.

Bar's lawsuit asserts that Netanyahu's claims constitute a "blood libel" intended to shift blame for the failures that enabled the massacre. The filing details numerous warnings Bar presented to Netanyahu in the months leading up to the war, including recommendations to assassinate Hamas leaders and opposition to continued Qatari funding of Gaza, which intelligence indicated was strengthening Hamas's military wing. The lawsuit argues that Netanyahu is responsible for an "containment and quiet" policy that allowed Hamas to build its military strength.

Opposition leaders seized on the lawsuit's details to reiterate their accusations against Netanyahu regarding the October 7 failures. Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, called for a state commission of inquiry, stating, "Netanyahu was warned and did not act." Naftali Bennett, chairman of the Yesh Atid party, declared that the lawsuit proves Netanyahu "bears personal and direct responsibility for the massacre" and that his continued tenure is a "tangible and real danger to Israel's security."

Yair Lapid, another Yesh Atid leader, stated, "Netanyahu can no longer say he didn't know, all the materials were on his table." He questioned why Netanyahu would "prefer to listen to Qatar's agents in his office instead of the IDF and the Shin Bet?" Yair Golan, chairman of the Democratic Movement, called Netanyahu "Mr. Abandonment" and asserted his responsibility for the massacre is "direct and clear," adding that Netanyahu has since been "busy tampering with evidence, rewriting history, and escaping responsibility."

Bar's lawsuit counters Netanyahu's claims by presenting evidence from the night of October 7, which he argues completely refutes the idea that the Shin Bet withheld information. According to the filing, the Shin Bet disseminated warnings to all security agencies starting at 3:03 AM, and the Prime Minister's Military Secretariat, along with other security bodies, was updated. Bar also instructed that an update be sent to Netanyahu's Military Secretary, Maj. Gen. Avi Gill, before the attack began, following established communication protocols. The lawsuit notes that Netanyahu did not call Bar back or intervene in decision-making in the initial hours after the attack commenced.