On Monday this week, Ronen Bar, head of Israel’s security service Shin Bet, challenged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to fire him in the country’s Supreme Court, blocking it – at least temporarily. He was supported in his claim by a number of civic groups and former military generals, including the ex-Israeli air force chief Nimrod Sheffer, stating that Netanyahu wanted to get rid of him after suspecting that Bar was not loyal to him.
The Shin Bet chief provided the court with classified documents showing that Netanyahu wished to turn the agency into his private secret police, like those in some dictatorial regimes. Bar also wrote in his affidavit what many Israelis believe: that Netanyahu and his right-wing government are ready to sacrifice the 59 hostages who remain in Gaza in order to stay in power.
As the war in Gaza drags on, the public is beginning to feel a strong sense of déjà vu
Bar’s allegations that Netanyahu is prolonging the war in Gaza for his own political gain are just the latest to emerge from Israel’s military establishment.
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