Sawt Falasteen - Israel PM, security agency fight it out in public

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar of resorting to "blackmail" and "threats" over the proposed reforms.

On Thursday, Bar's predecessor Nadav Argaman added oil to the fire in an interview he gave to Israel's privately owned Channel 12 television.

"I keep everything private that occurred one-on-one between me and the prime minister. It is quite clear that I have a great deal of knowledge which I could put to use, but I do not," Argaman said.

"If I conclude that the prime minister has decided to act in contravention of the law, then I will have no choice -- I will reveal everything I know... in order to preserve the importance of relations between the Shin Bet chief and the premier."

The former security chief added: "I'm very troubled by the fact that the prime minister is deliberately damaging Israeli society and causing friction within it in order to rule."

Netanyahu responded on social media platform X, accusing Argaman of engaging in "live, on-air extortion against a sitting prime minister" and of making "Mafia-style criminal threats".

He also accused Bar of being behind what he called "part of an ongoing campaign of threats and media leaks" aimed at preventing him "from making the necessary decisions to restore the Shin Bet after its devastating failure on October 7."

- 'Baseless' accusation -

The domestic security agency is formally known as the Internal Security Agency.

On March 4, it acknowledged its failure in preventing Hamas's 2023 attack, saying that if it had acted differently the deadliest day in Israel's history could have been averted.

In a rare move, the agency has now issued a statement about the political controversy, denouncing "a serious accusation against the head of a state agency in Israel" and calling it "baseless".

The statement said "Ronen Bar dedicates all his time to security matters, efforts to bring back the hostages and defending democracy".

Bar has led the Shin Bet since 2021, and his relations with Netanyahu were strained even before the Hamas attack, notably over proposed judicial reforms that split the country in the lead-up.

Relations became even more strained after the March 4 release of the internal Shin Bet report on the attack.

After admitting responsibility for failures, Bar added that in order to truly understand how the unprecedented attack was not stopped, there needed to be a broader probe into the role of Israel's security and political elements and the cooperation between them.

The report said that "a policy of quiet had enabled Hamas to undergo massive military buildup".

Netanyahu has demanded the departure of Bar, whose mandate expires in October 2026.

But Israeli media have reported his refusal to quit, meaning the premier may have to fire him at a crucial time when the war in Gaza could resume if talks underway in Qatar fail to prolong a January ceasefire.

- Agency independence -

In the meantime, Bar's responsibilities appear to have been curtailed.

Media reports say he was excluded from a security cabinet meeting and also the Israeli negotiating delegation in Doha, which is being led by Bar's deputy, known only as 'M'.

Bar had been involved in previous sessions of indirect negotiations with Hamas, including those that led to the ceasefire.

Netanyahu and Bar also disagree on who should replace the current Shin Bet chief.

Bar wants 'M' to succeed him, as is customary, but Netanyahu wants the final say on the appointment.

Media reports say everything boils down to Shin Bet independence in the face of a premier tempted to appoint someone loyal who would act in his political interests, rather than those of the country.

The Israeli opposition has already denounced government proceedings to dismiss Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, a vocal critic of Netanyahu who is also the government's legal adviser.

Baharav-Miara is a fierce defender of the judiciary's independence who has often taken positions that clashed with those of Netanyahu's government.

When the premier returned to power in 2022 after being ousted, she warned that his new government's legislative programme threatened to turn Israel into a "democracy in name, but not in essence".

R.Halabi--SF-PST