Netanyahu accuses security agency chief of lying to Israel’s top court – JURIST
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday accused Ronen Bar, head of the domestic security agency, of lying to the country’s top court, following a legal battle over the prime minister’s attempts to fire him.
Netanyahu stated that Bar had not warned the country’s top leaders, including the prime minister, minister of defense, or the emergency squads, of the October 7 attacks, noting that he failed to take action not to “create a miscalculation” with Hamas.
Netanyahu added that Bar had advocated providing economic relief to Gaza as a pathway to peace with, which, according to the prime minister, backfired and allowed Hamas to “arm itself and strike.”
He also said that Ronen is lying about the trial, as the “Prime Minister did not ask to postpone or cancel,” but rather “insisted on appearing in court on time and without delay.”
On April 22 Bar submitted an affidavit to Israel’s High Court of Justice stating that the desire to fire him came as an effort by Netanyahu to secure Bar’s loyalty and not from a professional standpoint.
Bar stressed that he resisted improper directives and acted solely within the agency’s legal mandate, even when pressured to misuse its powers. Particularly, he refused requests to target legitimate protestors and rejected efforts to obstruct the prime minister’s ongoing trial – acts which could have undermined the security agency’s independence and create a precedent for future leaders to not fear political retaliation while carrying their duties.
Responding to misuse of power in regards to protests allegations, Netanyahu asserted that he never demanded illegal surveillance but “insisted on strict adherence to the law, and requested a clear legal opinion.”
