Can anybody tell Trump and Netanyahu apart – Peter
Ronen Bar, head of Israel’s internal security service, says he was also asked to spy on anti-government protesters
Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Jerusalem
Tue 22 Apr 2025 00.55 AEST
The director of Israel’s internal intelligence agency, Shin Bet, has alleged that Benjamin Netanyahu fired him for refusing to pledge his loyalty to the prime minister over the courts and use the agency to spy on anti-government protesters.
The battle between Netanyahu and Ronen Bar, the head of Shin Bet, has pushed Israel to the brink of a constitutional crisis, after the supreme court blocked a decision by the cabinet to dismiss Bar from his post – the first Shin Bet head to be fired.
Bar had alleged that the decision to fire him was driven by Netanyahu’s “personal interests”. On Monday, Bar submitted an 31-page affidavit to the supreme court, which halted his firing last month. The affidavit detailed his version of the events that led to the breakdown of his relationship with Netanyahu and his dismissal. Some sections relating to national security were kept classified.
Among the most serious allegations made in Bar’s affidavit was the claim that “on several occasions” Netanyahu explicitly told Shin Bet to conduct surveillance on citizens involved in anti-government protests, which he refused to do. Bar said the prime minister demanded the agency “provide details regarding the identities of Israeli citizens, protest activists” involved in any demonstrations against the Netanyahu government, and monitor those deemed to be “protest funders”.
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