Shin Bet director Ronen Bar has announced that he will stand down on June 15, effectively ending a bitter public row with Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Speaking at an event honouring fallen Shin Bet officers, Bar confirmed he would resign from his role after months of government attempts to oust him.
In his address, he took responsibility for the security service’s failings during the October 7, 2023 attacks, saying: “After years on many fronts, in one night on the southern front, the sky fell.
"All systems collapsed. The Shin Bet also failed to provide early warning.
"After 35 years of service, in order to allow for an orderly process of appointing a permanent successor and a professional handover, I will end my role on June 15, 2025.”
Bar has been at the centre of a legal dispute since Netanyahu’s attempt to sack him passed through cabinet in March.
The case was the zenith of a growing rift between ministers and the Shin Bet, particularly with regards to the agency’s investigations into allegations of links between the Prime Minister’s Office and Qatar, as well as far-right influence in the Israel Police.
A briefing war also raged in the Israeli media over who was to bear the brunt of responsibility for the October 7 lapses and subsequent failures to secure the release of all of the hostages taken that day.
Supporters of Bar have argued that he is being victimised for ordering officials to probe legitimate wrongdoing, while critics claim he was attempting to frustrate the democratically mandated government.
Netanyahu himself has made several comments regarding the “deep state”, a supposed shadowy bureaucracy composed of Bar, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara (whom he has also sought to remove), the civil service and the wider judicial branch, which he claimed was trying to bring down his right-wing coalition.
Last month, the High Court issued an injunction against Bar’s removal while it deliberates on the legality of the move.
The court is still technically considering his firing but now appears to have been rendered moot as the government has withdrawn its motion to implement the decision, though reports suggest that justices could still make a more general ruling on the ability of the cabinet to dismiss future Shin Bet directors.
This will allow Bar to continue as interim head of the agency until his resignation date, while Netanyahu is reportedly set to nominate a replacement – which had been a key point of contention in the case – in the coming days.
