JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL
Israel’s opposition labeled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “danger to national security” Monday, following a letter from Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar to the Supreme Court addressing his attempted dismissal, according to Israeli media.
The accusation emerged after a meeting led by opposition leader Yair Lapid, the head of the Yesh Atid party, alongside State Camp party leader Benny Gantz, Yisrael Beiteinu party leader Avigdor Lieberman and Democrats party leader Yair Golan, Channel 12 reported.
The opposition leaders, in a brief statement, condemned Netanyahu’s conduct as described in Bar’s letter, saying it “jeopardizes our future and existence and harms state security.”
In a recorded video earlier Monday, Lapid declared that Bar’s letter “proves Netanyahu endangers Israel’s security and cannot remain prime minister.”
He accused Netanyahu of attempting to use the Shin Bet to monitor Israeli citizens and dismantle democracy, adding that appointing a new Shin Bet chief under Netanyahu would pose a “real threat” to Israel and its citizens.
Golan, a former deputy chief of staff of the army, called Netanyahu a “direct threat to Israel’s security and rule of law,” demanding his immediate resignation.
In a post on X, Golan described Bar’s affidavit as “no longer a warning -- it is a serious indictment and an emergency alarm for Israeli democracy.”
He said that Netanyahu demanded “personal loyalty from the head of the Shin Bet instead of loyalty to the state. He demanded that he use the secret service against civilians, lie to the High Court of Justice, and bend the rule of law to his personal needs.”
Golan further said that Netanyahu sought to use the Shin Bet “against political opponents, against protests, against citizens who came out to defend democracy.”
He branded him a “a failed prime minister in terms of security and politics, legally entangled up to his neck” and leading a “anarchist government” that amounts to “a de facto coup d'état.”
On Monday morning, Bar submitted an eight-page letter to the Supreme Court condemning Netanyahu, who decided to dismiss him in March, confirming recent leaks about the prime minister’s behavior with the Shin Bet, local media reported.
Bar said that Netanyahu instructed him to obey the prime minister over the Supreme Court in a constitutional crisis and to deploy the Shin Bet against anti-government protesters, a request Bar deemed “illegal.”
Netanyahu further demanded details on the identities of protesters and their financial backers. Bar added that the prime minister exerted “unusual pressure” to force him to write a professional opinion formed by Netanyahu to avoid appearing in court for corruption charges.
Netanyahu’s office, in a statement, dismissed Bar’s letter as “full of lies” and evidence of his “utter failure” during the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on Israel by the Palestinian group Hamas.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court issued a temporary injunction preventing the government from dismissing Bar, announcing a replacement, or issuing instructions to officials under his authority. The order was issued after reviewing petitions submitted by the opposition against his dismissal.
On March 20, the Israeli government approved the dismissal of the Shin Bet chief and the decision was scheduled to take effect on April 10.
However, on March 21, the Supreme Court froze the government's decision to dismiss Bar, pending the review of petitions submitted by the opposition against his dismissal.
Netanyahu justified Bar's dismissal by citing a “lack of trust” in him as a result of the repercussions of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack. Bar, however, hinted at political motives behind the prime minister's decision, stating that it was due to his refusal to meet Netanyahu's demands for “personal loyalty.”
The Israeli army resumed its deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip on March 18, abandoning a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.
Israel has killed more than 51,200 Palestinians in the enclave since October 2023, most of them women and children.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
