Israel security chief accuses PM of demanding personal loyalty

Israel's internal security chief, whom the government is trying to sack, on Monday accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of demanding personal loyalty and ordering him to spy on anti-government protesters.

The accusations, made in a sworn statement to the Supreme Court, are the latest twist in a legal and political saga pitting Netanyahu against Ronen Bar, whose dismissal, announced by the government last month but frozen by the court, triggered mass protests in Israel.

The unprecedented move to fire the head of the Shin Bet security agency has been contested by the attorney general and the opposition, which sees it as a sign of authoritarian drift.

Following a lengthy hearing, the Supreme Court on 8 April called on the government and the attorney general to find a compromise on the issue, giving them until after the Jewish Passover holiday, which had just ended.

In the affidavit submitted to the court on Monday, Bar said: "I will soon announce the date of my resignation."

The affidavit, released by the attorney general's office, contains several accusations against Netanyahu, including that he asked Bar for personal loyalty.

"It was clear" that in the event of a potential constitutional crisis, Netanyahu would expect Bar to obey the prime minister and not the courts, the Shin Bet chief wrote.

The security agency boss also said Netanyahu told him "on more than one occasion" that he expected Shin Bet to take action against Israelis involved in anti-government protests, "with a particular focus on monitoring the protests' financial backers".

Confirming earlier media reports, Bar also said Netanyahu had sought his help to delay testifying in an ongoing corruption trial against the Israeli premier.

Bar also addressed the so-called "Qatargate" scandal, where ties between Netanyahu's aides and Qatar are currently being investigated.

"Even a minor suspicion that individuals employed by a state that supports Hamas have access to the inner sanctum of Israeli decision-making and may be engaged in influence operations must be thoroughly examined," the security chief said, "especially when this country is engaged in mediating negotiations between Israel and Hamas", referring to Qatar's role in efforts to resolve the Gaza war.

Additionally, Bar denied accusations by the prime minister and his associates that the Shin Bet had failed to warn in time about the 7 October attacks.

Netanyahu's office rejected Bar's accusation in a brief one-line statement.

"Ronen Bar submitted a false affidavit to the Supreme Court today, which will be thoroughly refuted in due course," it said.

Following the hearing on 8 April, the Supreme Court ruled that Bar "will continue to perform his duties until a later decision".

It added "there is nothing to prevent interviews with candidates for the post, without announcing an appointment".