The government approved the dismissal of Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) chief Ronen Bar during its meeting early Friday morning. The Prime Minister's Office stated, "The government has now unanimously approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposal to terminate the tenure of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar." "Ronen Bar will conclude his role as Shin Bet chief on April 10, 2025, or when a permanent Shin Bet chief is appointed—whichever comes first," the statement added. The original proposal stipulated that the dismissal would take effect within 30 days or upon the selection of Bar's successor. Later, the ministers also considered the possibility that the dismissal would take effect in one week, on March 28. Following the approval of Bar’s dismissal, a diplomatic source responded to a letter Bar had sent , which was presented to government ministers during the meeting discussing his removal. "The Israeli government, which oversees the Shin Bet, has completely lost confidence in Ronen Bar, who continues to refuse to step down while cynically using the families of the hostages and making improper political use of his position to fabricate baseless investigations,” said the source. “Ronen had an opportunity to resign with dignity after his severe failure on October 7, just as the outgoing Chief of Staff did. However, he chose not to attend the government meeting dealing with his case—simply because he was afraid to provide answers, especially to one critical question: Why, after knowing about the Hamas attack many hours before it happened, did he do nothing and fail to alert the Prime Minister—something that could have prevented the disaster? If Ronen Bar had performed his duty as firmly as he now clings to his seat, we wouldn’t have reached October 7," the source stated. During the meeting, Minister Gideon Sa’ar criticized Bar for not appearing before the government and instead sending a defiant letter. "In his letter, the Shin Bet chief writes that he will present his detailed position in the appropriate forum. What is the appropriate forum? This is the appropriate forum! The forum legally empowered to make this decision," Sa’ar said. Sa’ar also commented on criticism regarding the government’s responsibility for the events of October 7, saying, "The government is tested on this issue every week. The government can be replaced in one of two ways—through democratic elections by the people or by a vote of no confidence in the Knesset." Minister Ze’ev Elkin stated that he had planned to discuss the failures of October 7 but found Bar’s letter so shocking that it overshadowed everything. "There is no significance to what I intended to say after seeing Bar’s astonishing letter, which essentially constitutes a complete rejection of the principle that the security echelon is subordinate to the political leadership." Opposition leader Yair Lapid reiterated his stance, declaring that his party would petition the Supreme Court against the decision. "The hasty and unfounded dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar serves only one purpose: to halt the ‘Qatar-Gate’ investigation. Those under investigation in a serious criminal affair that endangered state security are now firing their own investigators.” Related articles: Supreme Court freezes dismissal of ISA chief Ronen Bar Knesset opposition appeals to court over ISA chief's firing 'The legal institutions will determine my future' Thousands protest outside Cabinet meeting “The parties in the opposition will jointly appeal against this reckless move, which is intended to cover up the infiltration of a hostile state into Netanyahu’s office," Lapid stated. Benny Gantz, chairman of the National Unity party, added, "The dismissal of the Shin Bet chief due to political motives is a mark of Cain for every minister who raised their hand in favor of it tonight. It will be remembered in infamy forever."
