On October 30, 2023, just 23 days after the Hamas massacre, Netanyahu visited one of the security agency’s units and praised Bar’s leadership. “The Shin Bet, under its director, has done and continues to do tremendous covert work, both alongside other security agencies and through independent actions that save lives. I salute them,” Netanyahu said at the time.
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ביג מיוחד צריבה רונן בר ו ביבי בנימין נתניהו על רקע הפריצה 7.10ביג מיוחד צריבה רונן בר ו ביבי בנימין נתניהו על רקע הפריצה 7.10
Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photo: Oliver CONTRERAS / AFP, Yair Sagi)
A statement issued on November 5 dismissed the reports as false and divisive. Later that day, Netanyahu’s office released another statement confirming he had spoken with the security chiefs and expected continued cooperation with the new defense minister.
In other words, just weeks after October 7, Netanyahu publicly praised Bar and still expressed expectations for Bar’s continued work nearly a year later — without any mention of dismissal or lost confidence.
Security alerts contradict Netanyahu’s claims
In the video, Netanyahu suggested Bar’s failure to wake him in the early hours on October 7, was intentional, but he omitted key details. The Shin Bet did alert Israel’s security officials after detecting Hamas SIM card activity in Gaza, triggering a nighttime discussion withSouthern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman.
At 3:00 a.m., the Shin Bet alerted the prime minister’s military secretary’s aide. At 5:00 a.m., Bar held a briefing where he ordered updates be sent to the IDF chief of staff’s office and the prime minister’s military secretary. This timeline contradicts any suggestion that Bar withheld information from Netanyahu.
Netanyahu’s timeline on investigation delays doesn't add up
Netanyahu claimed Bar asked him to delay releasing the findings of the Shin Bet's internal inquiry into its failings leading up to and on Oct. 7. He claimed Bar wanted to avoid being dismissed and opened theinvestigation into the prime minister's close aids, and their alleged involvement with Qatar, for the same purpose. However, the timeline suggests otherwise.
On January 29, Bar met with Netanyahu, who unexpectedly requested that the Shin Bet submit the findings of its inquiries into the Hamas massacre, within two weeks — far earlier than the planned late-March deadline. Bar told Netanyahu the agency couldn’t meet the new deadline and that the report’s timeframe couldn’t be significantly shortened.
On February 10, Netanyahu’s office formally ordered Bar to submit the reports by February 15. The order came at the same time that a reporter for Israel's Channel 12 newscast, submitted a written question about the alleged ties of the prime minister's aids to Qatar. The reports were broadcast on February 10 and 15. the Shin Bet confirmed to lawmakers that an investigation into Qatar had begun days earlier.
That same day, Bar sent Netanyahu a formal letter repeating his position that the Shin Bet would be unable to meet the new expedited deadline to submit the conclusion of its internal probe.
The matter of the possible involvement of close aids to the prime minister, with Qatar, was raised in a January 26 meeting at the attorney general’s office, attended by Shin Bet, police and prosecutors. The following day, reports confirmed an investigation was underway.
Officials involved said that there was no connection between Bar's insistence that the findings of the Shin Bet's internal investigation be presented as planned in late March and the Qatar probe — Bar had already informed the prime minister two weeks earlier that the Shin Bet needed the full timeframe for a thorough review.
At no point was Bar asked to resign alongside submitting the reports nor did Netanyahu ever indicate he had lost confidence in Bar.
Netanyahu’s team changes its narrative
Netanyahu’s allies argue his intention to fire Bar was already reported in early November 2024, long before the investigation into his aids' involvement with Qatar. They cite a November 18 report that alleged that the prime minister was considering dismissing the Shin Bet chief but that report was denied in a statement from the PMO. “The report is completely false. No such discussion has taken place,” the statement read.