by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Thousands of people protested outside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Thursday night while his cabinet unanimously voted early Friday to dismiss Security chief Ronen Bar.
Unmoved by protesters who marched in heavy rain from Netanyahu’s residence to his office chanting “We will never give up,” Netanyahu’s Cabinet removed Bar from his position. Protests took place throughout the day that included clashes with police and in some cases who used water cannons against protesters.
This marked the first time in Israeli history, the government fired the head of Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic security agency. Bar will leave his position on April 10, ten days earlier than originally planned, with the possibility of an even earlier departure if a permanent replacement is approved.
As the cabinet deliberated, a letter from Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar was distributed, explaining his absence from the meeting. He criticized the government, stating, “unfounded claims that are nothing more than a cover for completely different, extraneous and fundamentally invalid motives designed to disrupt the ability of the Shin Bet to fulfill its role.”
Critics argue that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s removal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar during the investigation into his aides’ alleged involvement in Qatargate was retaliatory, aimed at disrupting probes into suspected illicit connections with Qatari officials.
This past Monday, Netanyahu accused Israel’s attorney general of overreaching her authority and denied that Bar’s dismissal was linked to the attorney general’s investigation into illegal money transfers from Doha to three aides of Netanyahu. Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s supporters blame the protests on Israel’s “Leftist Deep State.”
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the “Deep State” on his official “prime minister” X account, echoing rhetoric similar to that of former US President Donald Trump. Netanyahu wrote, “In America and in Israel, when a strong right-wing leader wins an election, the leftist Deep State weaponizes the justice system to thwart the people’s will. They won’t win in either place! We stand strong together,” using his official platform to convey his message in English.
Shin Bet, essentially Israel’s version of the U.S. Secret Service and FBI rolled into one, handles Arab-related counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and provides security of the Prime Minister, Supreme Court, opposition leader, and Knesset chairman, along with other high-profile figures. Despite being a security agency, the Shin Bet is not under the Israeli Ministry of Defense and reports directly to the Prime Minister.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
Israel expanded its military campaign against Hezbollah on Monday, striking more than 70 targets across Lebanon as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to increase pressure on the Iranian-backed terror group following a sharp rise in drone and rocket attacks on northern Israel.
A federal appeals court is weighing whether Kansas City can use its public accommodation ordinance to require Christian counselors to counsel gay married couples despite the counselors’ biblical convictions on marriage and sexuality.
Tens of thousands of evangelical Christians gathered in the Netherlands for one of Europe’s largest multi-day Christian events, with organizers and participants expressing hopes for spiritual revival in the nation and across Europe.
President Donald Trump pushed back Monday against sharp criticism from Republicans and former administration officials over a potential U.S.-Iran agreement, insisting that any final accord must prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon or it will not be signed.
President Donald Trump said Monday that countries involved in negotiations over Iran should be required to join the Abraham Accords, signaling that the White House is seeking to turn a possible Iran agreement into a wider regional realignment that includes normalization with Israel.
Tensions remained high in Serbia’s capital Belgrade on Sunday after at least tens of thousands of people demanded elections and rallied against what they view as the increasingly authoritarian rule of President Aleksandar Vučić, with violence erupting after the protest and more than 20 people arrested.
Investigations were ongoing Sunday into the killing of three senior Kuki-Thadou Christian church leaders by unidentified gunmen in India’s northeastern Manipur State, Christian investigators told Worthy News.