Israel’s domestic intelligence agency head said on Monday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to fulfill his requests, including monitoring Israeli protesters and undermining the leadership’s corruption trial.
In the affidavit filed with the Supreme Court, the head of Ronen Bar said Netanyahu’s March move to fire him was not based on professional reasons, but was caused by personal loyalty to the Prime Minister.
In response, Netanyahu’s office dismissed the affidavit, which was “full of lies.”
Netanyahu argued that the firing was illegal in political regulators and opposition lawmakers, but Netanyahu’s attempt to fire bars fueled protests in Israel and was suspended by the Supreme Court.
Critics say the Israeli government is undermining key state institutions and endangering the foundations of democracy in the country. Netanyahu’s Likud party accused the bar association of taking action against the prime minister and turned part of Shens’s service into “a private militia in the deep state.”
The Israeli government supports Netanyahu, saying he lost confidence in the agency’s failure to prevent the Hamas-led law firm attack on October 7, 2023, which led to the country’s deadliest security failure.
But in the uncategorized section of his affidavit, lawyers argued that the attack had taken place more than a year and the pursuit of dismissing him began. He cites a series of events between November 2024 and February 2025, which he said appeared to prompt the Prime Minister to act against him.
Bar accuses Netanyahu of interfering in intelligence services
These include an investigation into the leaks of secret army documents into the media and the possible links between Netanyahu aides and Qatar, as well as an investigation into its own failure, which also points to the government’s neglect of warnings before the October 7 attacks and policy failures.
The Bar Association also said he refused to sign a security request aimed at preventing Netanyahu from continuing testimony in corruption trials. Netanyahu, who denies any misconduct, began testifying in a long-term court case in December. His office denied that he asked for a delay.
The Bar Association also cited what he called Netanyahu’s demand for intelligence agencies to take action against anti-government protesters.
Netanyahu’s office said the lawyer’s affidavit confirmed that he had a “debtat defeat” on October 7. “That alone requires a termination of his position,” it said.
It also denied that the move to Sakh Bar was an investigation into allegations of financial relations between Qatar and Netanyahu aides, in response to the thwarting of the so-called “Qatar Gate” investigation.
“The dismissal is not intended to prevent an investigation. Instead, the investigation is intended to prevent a dismissal,” it said.
The bar association accepted Shin Bet’s failure to block the Oct. 7 attack and said he would resign before the end of his term.
After hearing debates between supervisory and opposition lawmakers on April 8, the Supreme Court said the bar association’s firing violated due process and was contaminated by conflicts of interest, but has not yet ruled on the case.
