Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded sharply on Thursday evening to former Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) chief Nadav Argaman, alleging that he is conducting an unprecedented media pressure campaign against him in an attempt to prevent him from making critical decisions meant to reform the organization.
"Tonight, another dangerous red line has been crossed in Israeli democracy," Netanyahu said. "Never, in the entire history of Israel or in the history of democracies, has the former head of a secret service organization carried out blackmail on live television against a sitting Prime Minister. This crime joins an entire campaign of blackmail through media briefings in recent days, led by the current Shin Bet chief, Ronen Bar," he said.
"The sole purpose is to try to prevent me from making the necessary decisions to rehabilitate the Shin Bet following its glaring failure on October 7. Let it be clear: criminal threats in the style of the mafia will not deter me. I will do what is necessary to ensure the security of Israel's citizens."
The Shin Bet said in response, "This is a serious accusation against the head of a state organization in Israel. Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar devotes his entire time to security matters, efforts to return the hostages, and defending democracy. Any other statement on the matter is baseless."
Netanyahu’s statement followed Argaman’s remarks in an interview on Channel 12 News, in which he said, "There is great importance to the intimacy between the Shin Bet chief and the Prime Minister, and I do not think it is appropriate to harm that intimacy in order to ensure the integrity of the relationship, the working ties, and the transparency that must exist between the Shin Bet chief and the Prime Minister. That is why I currently keep everything that happened in private between me and the Prime Minister in that space. It is absolutely clear that I have a great deal of knowledge, and I could use it, but I am refraining from doing so for the reasons I mentioned."
When asked when he would use it, he replied, "If I come to the conclusion that the Prime Minister has decided to act against the law, then, if there is no other choice, I will say everything I know, which I have refrained from doing until now in order to preserve the importance of the relationship between the Shin Bet chief and the Prime Minister."