Israeli internal intelligence chief Ronen Barr has issued severe rebukes to Prime Minister Netanyahu. For example, that he wanted to spy on opponents of the government.
A month ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the removal of internal intelligence chief Ronen Barr from office. But the country's Supreme Court suspended this decision. In the meantime, Barr has submitted his written testimony to the court, in which he makes serious accusations against the prime minister.
They state that Netanyahu demanded personal loyalty from him, writes the newspaper "The Times of Israel". The prime minister insisted that in the event of a constitutional crisis, Bar would obey him, rather than follow the instructions of the Supreme Court.
In addition, Netanyahu asked the internal intelligence agency "Shin Bet" to spy on his political opponents. Bar stated in his testimony that he refused to do this and to persecute demonstrators critical of the government or to take measures that would lead to delays in the ongoing corruption trial against Netanyahu. This was also the reason for the Supreme Court's blockade of his release, ARD points out.
Netanyahu exposes "lies" in the testimony
Netanyahu reacted with sharp counterattacks. Bar's testimony was complete lies, the prime minister wrote on the X platform. He accused the head of domestic intelligence of knowing about the upcoming attack by the terrorist organization Hamas against Israel before October 7, 2023, but not warning the Israeli government. This attack triggered the war in the Middle East that has been going on since then.
Bar rejected the accusations. But soon after the Hamas attack, he admitted that mistakes had been made in early warning the population and announced that he would resign prematurely from his post.
Investigations against Netanyahu's confidants
The Israeli government announced the removal of Bar from office about a month ago, ARD recalls. Netanyahu justified this step by the lack of confidence in the head of the "Shin Bet". The cabinet approved the dismissal; according to the plans, Bar was to leave his post no later than April 10. The announcement only intensified nationwide protests organized by critics of the government.
Among other things, the "Shin Bet" is investigating Netanyahu's confidants for possible illegal ties with Qatar. The payments are related to payments that Netanyahu's advisers received from Qatar to improve the emirate's image in Israel. Qatar, along with Egypt and the United States, is among the mediators in indirect talks with Hamas, but is also considered a supporter of the terrorist organization.