Finance Minister Smotrich informed Prime Minister Netanyahu on Tuesday that he will not participate in the important security meeting scheduled for today if Ronen Bar is invited. Minister Smotrich will not participate in any other discussions in which Ronen Bar is involved either.
Smotrich's staff stated: "Ronen Bar is a failed ISA chief who was ousted from his position and cannot be a partner in security discussions. He is a dangerous person who uses the ISA’s advanced intelligence and investigative tools, the holy of holies of the State of Israel, for his personal needs, as a tool for revenge against politicians and journalists."
"Ronen Bar failed in his role during the October 7th massacre and now acts criminally to execute a coup," Smotrich added.
The Likud party stated that "This morning another shocking and dangerous affair was revealed in the ISA under Ronen Bar. An ISA agent who felt that the organization under Ronen Bar had turned into a political body was arrested and interrogated in the basements of the ISA. Ronen Bar, in full cooperation with the Attorney General, has turned parts of the ISA into a private militia of the deep state that undermines the rule of law and the foundations of democracy."
"Under the direction of Ronen Bar and Gali Baharav-Miara, who have a long-standing connection, the ISA arrests and interrogates journalists, blackmails police officers, and opens political sham investigations against ministers and Knesset members from the coalition - all in order to prevent Bar's dismissal. The political investigations must cease immediately. Ronen Bar, who has failed horrifically and has lost since then the trust of the entire government, must stop clinging to his position and vacate his place immediately. The women and men of the ISA who do holy work deserve another ISA chief."
Earlier today, Smotrich responded to the security affair and said: "This is what a real regime coup looks like: a secret intelligence organization uses the draconian powers granted to it for clear security purposes only against elected officials and journalists while completely losing sight of checks and balances. It looks like a coup when the elected government seeks to remove from office a failed ISA chief who has gone astray and undermines the government, but the Attorney General and the Supeme Court prevent this forcefully."
Smotrich added: "The State of Israel is on a slippery and dangerous slope towards losing democracy and becoming a dictatorial regime of a security and judicial junta. We cannot let this pass and will return the State of Israel to the people."
"I don’t know who this ISA agent is, but as far as I’m concerned, he is the next ISA chief - the only one in the organization with a backbone, a moral conscience, a democratic compass, and civic courage to fight the corruption that Ronen Bar has brought to the organization and to thwart a violent regime coup."