Netanyahu and the Israeli Shin Bet: Serious accusations and threats to reveal information

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar of leading a campaign to oust him, a charge Bar called a "serious accusation," as the two men continue to exchange insults.

These threats came after former Shin Bet chief Nadav Argaman threatened, "If Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acts against the law, I will reveal everything I know," according to Channel 13.

Netanyahu rejected what he described as "criminal, mafia-style threats," saying he would do whatever was necessary to ensure the security of Israel's citizens. Netanyahu responded to Argaman by saying, "It has never been before in Israel's history that a former head of a security agency threatened and blackmailed a sitting prime minister on live television."

Netanyahu and Shin Bet clash

In his statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar of leading a campaign to prevent him from making the necessary decisions to reform the agency after its disastrous failure on October 7, 2023.

In a statement issued by his office, Netanyahu said: "A full-scale campaign of blackmail, media-directed, has been launched in recent days, led by current Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar."

He added, "The sole goal is to try to prevent me from making the necessary decisions to reform the Shin Bet after its disastrous failure on October 7."

For its part, the Israeli Internal Security Service (Shin Bet) described Netanyahu's statements as a "serious accusation," saying, "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statements constitute a serious accusation against a governmental organization in the State of Israel."

A Shin Bet statement added, "The head of the agency, Ronen Bar, devotes most of his time to security, returning prisoners, and defending democracy," as he described it.

Argaman threatens: I will reveal everything I know

Former head of the Israeli General Security Service (Shin Bet), Nadav Argaman, threatened Netanyahu, saying, "If Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acts against the law, I will reveal everything I know."

"We must end the war in Gaza immediately and recover all prisoners. There is nothing in the Gaza Strip that warrants our remaining there," he said.

Argaman added, in statements reported by Channel 12, that this war should have ended a long time ago, stressing that "the lives of the kidnapped are more important than anything, and they must be returned despite the painful price we will pay in the deal."

Argaman criticized Netanyahu, saying that what motivates him now is his continued rule and the preservation of his coalition, not Israel's security.

Argaman, who does not speak Arabic, is described as being well-versed in Palestinian society, having been in constant security contact with it around the clock during the Second Intifada and having participated actively in the military operation "Defensive Shield" in the West Bank in 2002.

According to Israeli security sources, Argaman was responsible for providing field services to combat units and counterintelligence. He was also the mastermind behind the assassination of several Palestinian leaders, particularly those from the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), such as Ahmed al-Jaabari, a leader in its military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, who was assassinated by Israel in November 2012.

Last September, before the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel was concluded, Argaman called for a halt to the fighting in the Gaza Strip and an end to the war, saying that Israel was not qualified for long wars.

Source: Yemen Youth Net + Agencies + Al Jazeera