Protests Across Israel As Netanyahu’s Cabinet Unanimously Fires Security Chief
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Thousands of people protested outside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Thursday night while his cabinet unanimously voted early Friday to dismiss Security chief Ronen Bar.
Unmoved by protesters who marched in heavy rain from Netanyahu’s residence to his office chanting “We will never give up,” Netanyahu’s Cabinet removed Bar from his position. Protests took place throughout the day that included clashes with police and in some cases who used water cannons against protesters.
This marked the first time in Israeli history, the government fired the head of Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic security agency. Bar will leave his position on April 10, ten days earlier than originally planned, with the possibility of an even earlier departure if a permanent replacement is approved.
As the cabinet deliberated, a letter from Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar was distributed, explaining his absence from the meeting. He criticized the government, stating, “unfounded claims that are nothing more than a cover for completely different, extraneous and fundamentally invalid motives designed to disrupt the ability of the Shin Bet to fulfill its role.”
Critics argue that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s removal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar during the investigation into his aides’ alleged involvement in Qatargate was retaliatory, aimed at disrupting probes into suspected illicit connections with Qatari officials.
This past Monday, Netanyahu accused Israel’s attorney general of overreaching her authority and denied that Bar’s dismissal was linked to the attorney general’s investigation into illegal money transfers from Doha to three aides of Netanyahu. Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s supporters blame the protests on Israel’s “Leftist Deep State.”
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the “Deep State” on his official “prime minister” X account, echoing rhetoric similar to that of former US President Donald Trump. Netanyahu wrote, “In America and in Israel, when a strong right-wing leader wins an election, the leftist Deep State weaponizes the justice system to thwart the people’s will. They won’t win in either place! We stand strong together,” using his official platform to convey his message in English.
Shin Bet, essentially Israel’s version of the U.S. Secret Service and FBI rolled into one, handles Arab-related counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and provides security of the Prime Minister, Supreme Court, opposition leader, and Knesset chairman, along with other high-profile figures. Despite being a security agency, the Shin Bet is not under the Israeli Ministry of Defense and reports directly to the Prime Minister.
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