‘Trust damaged’: Netanyahu’s bid to oust Israel’s security chief triggers row

TEL AVIV: Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday accused the country's attorney general Gali Baharav-Miara of "abusing" her authority after she challenged him to explain the legal grounds of a potential dismissal of Ronen Bar, the head of internal security agency Shin Bet, over its failure to prevent the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023.
Netanyahu posted his letter to Baharav-Miara, written in Hebrew, on X.

In the letter, the Israeli prime minister reiterated it was the government's "exclusive authority" to sack the Shin Bet director.
"As you (Baharav-Miara) are aware, the termination of the head of the Shin Bet is the exclusive authority of the government under Section 3(c) of the General Security Service Law, 2002. This is a decision of the highest security importance, both in routine circumstances and, more so, in times of emergency and pressing security challenges. Your attempt to take over the security judgment of the government during wartime under the guise of legal advice is a dangerous denial—once again—of the government's explicit authority," the letter stated.
Netanyahu had announced on Sunday that he intended to dismiss Bar, prompting Baharav-Miara to ask the prime minister to explain the legal grounds for such a decision. She said that Shin Bet's role was "not to serve the personal trust" of the premier.
"The head of the Shin Bet does not serve in a position of personal trust, and attempting to present the prime minister's lack of trust in the head of the Shin Bet as a matter of personal trust is a linguistic manipulation," Netanyahu mentioned in the letter.
The intelligence officer, who played a crucial role in hostage negotiations with Hamas, had already accepted his responsibility and indicated plans to resign before his retirement, due in 2026. If approved by Israel's cabinet, his would be the first firing of a Shin Bet chief in history.
Bar responded to Netanyahu's statement by stating his allegiance was with the people, noting that the Israeli leader's "expectation of a duty of personal loyalty is fundamentally misguided."
Netanyahu has dismissed or compelled the departure of numerous senior officials following Hamas' attack, with Bar being his latest target. The former has consistently defended his actions, saying these stem from a "loss of confidence" and the necessity to remove officials who failed to prevent the attack.
However, critics argue these dismissals are part of a "broader strategy" to weaken independent government institutions. They contend Netanyahu aims to enhance his image and retain power whilst facing corruption charges and public demands to acknowledge his responsibility for policy shortcomings before October 7.
(With AP inputs)