Netanyahu Dismisses Shin Bet Lawsuit as 'Publicity Stunt'

Bar filed the lawsuit in the Central District Court, accusing Netanyahu of spreading a blood libel by claiming Bar knew about the impending attack but chose not to update him. In his lawsuit, Bar detailed a timeline of warnings presented to Netanyahu between November 2022 and October 2023, including a July 2023 strategic warning of war. While Bar admitted the Shin Bet failed to provide the required intelligence on the timing and scope of the attack, he denied having advance knowledge of the massacre.

Netanyahu and his advisor, Yonatan Urich, sharply criticized Bar's claim that he could not reach the Prime Minister on the night of the attack because he lacked his personal phone number. Netanyahu stated that Bar had direct access to his secure red phone and could have used his own Shin Bet security detail, who are with the Prime Minister constantly, to establish contact within minutes. Netanyahu suggested that many lives could have been saved if Bar had made timely contact.

In an interview on Kan News, Netanyahu also disputed the warnings detailed in the lawsuit, citing a Shin Bet intelligence report from October 3, 2023, which assessed that understandings with Hamas would maintain stability in Gaza. Netanyahu stated he has provided the State Comptroller with nearly a thousand documents refuting Bar's claims.