The Israeli government is alleging a nefarious Deep State conspiracy orchestrated by domestic security forces aimed at toppling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, drawing parallels with the purported Deep State efforts against Donald Trump from 2016 to 2024 in the United States.
Observers were left puzzled by significant security lapses experienced by the renowned Israeli intelligence agency on October 7, which led to rampant antisemitic conspiracy theories suggesting that Israel itself had orchestrated the tragic terror attacks resulting in over 1,200 fatalities. Recent disclosures, however, indicate that the Shin Bet security service may have been infiltrated by left-leaning, anti-Netanyahu factions linked to the failed Biden administration, which allegedly provided funding for the anti-Netanyahu protest movement and legal battles.
“The extreme actions we are witnessing from Ronen Bar are characteristic of individuals aware that their fortress is crumbling,” security expert Moshe Ashkenazi stated in an interview with Danny Seaman on JNS. “They are now retreating and engaging in a last-ditch effort to protect their dwindling power, showing reluctance to step aside.”
The situation escalated when Shin Bet director Ronen Bar had one of his agents arrested over Passover weekend for allegedly stealing classified materials and leaking them to journalist Amit Segal and Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli.
Channel 12 journalist Amit Segal reported that Bar was attempting to frame the Israeli police for purported right-wing extremism. Whistleblowers within Shin Bet have claimed these accusations are fabricated, aimed at undermining conservative Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Following a ruling from the Lod district court lifting a gag order on the investigation, critics have labeled the incident as the latest instance of power abuse by senior Shin Bet officials targeting the government, as reported by JNS.
Prime Minister Netanyahu condemned the leak as “another shocking and dangerous” event under Bar’s leadership, asserting that parts of the Shin Bet have morphed into a “private militia of the deep state which threatens the rule of law and the foundations of democracy.”
Minister Amichai Chikli, who received the whistleblower’s information and attended the hearing, labeled the officer a “hero.” He went on to criticize Shin Bet director Bar, stating, “Ronen Bar is the one who has betrayed public trust and is unhinged,” in remarks to the press.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich warned, “The State of Israel is on a perilous path toward losing democracy, with the risk of a dictatorial regime led by a security and legal junta. We will not allow this to continue and will restore Israel to the people.”
Justice Minister Yariv Levin argued, “The head of the Shin Bet behaves as though he operates a private intelligence agency capable of launching a political witch hunt.” He noted that while this conduct is not unprecedented, “more and more courageous individuals are stepping forward to expose what is truly occurring today, as well as the secretive actions of the past.”
In an article for Israel Hayom, journalist Shirit Avitan Cohen highlighted numerous recent leaks from security services damaging to the Netanyahu government, pointing out the conspicuous absence of criminal investigations regarding these leaks. In contrast, critics of Ronen Bar, such as Netanyahu aide Eli Feldstein, who disclosed details of Bar’s failures on October 7, face severe penalties, including potential life imprisonment.
“It appears to be a case of selective enforcement,” Cohen observed.
While the Netanyahu cabinet has voted to remove Ronen Bar from his position, they have faced resistance from Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and the High Court of Justice, which has indefinitely suspended the government’s decision to terminate his employment.
Attorney General Baharav-Miara contends that firing Bar would jeopardize ongoing investigations into allegations of Qatari financial influence on government members, including the editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post.
Netanyahu alleges that the investigation concerning Qatar is part of a coup attempt orchestrated by Shin Bet and Baharav-Miara to remove him from power.
Among Bar’s supporters at the Supreme Court is the left-wing NGO Movement for Quality Government, which played a pivotal role in the protest movement against Netanyahu that left the nation critically distracted prior to the October 7 atrocities. Journalist Caroline Glick has asserted that the Movement for Quality Government received funding from the Biden administration, as reported by .
