Former Shin Bet chief sues Netanyahu for defamation, says he warned him more than 20 times about Hamas

Former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar filed a defamation lawsuit against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Tel Aviv District Court on Wednesday, seeking three million shekels in damages over allegations concerning intelligence failures preceding the 7th October 2023 Hamas attack.

The lawsuit follows a 28th September post on X in which Netanyahu accused Bar of deliberately withholding intelligence from him on the eve of the attack and alleged that the former security chief had committed “failures and offenses.”

In the filing, Bar accused Netanyahu of spreading what he described as a “blood libel” against him in an attempt to shift responsibility for the failures that preceded the attack.

Bar said he had repeatedly warned Netanyahu about Hamas’s growing military capabilities and had recommended operations targeting the movement’s senior leadership.

According to the lawsuit, both Bar and his predecessor as Shin Bet chief, Nadav Argaman, had recommended assassinating senior Hamas figures and opposed the continued transfer of Qatari financial assistance to the Gaza Strip.

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The filing argued that part of the Qatari funding had been used by Hamas to strengthen its military wing.

Bar also accused Netanyahu of pursuing a policy of “containment and quiet” toward Hamas, which he said had allowed the movement to expand its military capabilities.

According to the lawsuit, Bar warned Netanyahu more than 20 times beginning on November 7, 2022, about developments in Gaza and recommended launching operations against Hamas.

He said the frequency of his warnings increased significantly during August and September 2023, shortly before the 7th October attack.

Bar also cited a document he submitted to Netanyahu on 6th July 2023, warning about the threat posed by Hamas’s growing strength.

According to the filing, Netanyahu returned the document with a written response stating: “This is not the job of the head of the Shin Bet; in a democratic system, the Shin Bet is not responsible for formulating a national strategy for the State of Israel.”

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