Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich published a statement this evening (Thursday) explaining his decision not to sit at cabinet meeting with Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar.
"'There is no authority without responsibility and there is no responsibility without authority.' This is the first principle in any system that desires life and this is the heart of the debate surrounding the legal coup that has been carried out here in recent decades and has led to an absurd disconnect between authority and responsibility. A disconnect that is now reaching an endpoint around forcing Ronen Bar to continue his term as head of the Shin Bet," Smotrich began.
"Let's start with the fact that Ronen Bar is the head of the Shin Bet who has failed colossally in his position. He is personally responsible for the greatest disaster in the history of the State of Israel. He heads the intelligence organization that was supposed to provide the warning of a Hamas attack and for three years fell asleep on duty and allowed the great strategic deception that Sinwar perpetrated on the State of Israel. Ronen Bar received indications on the night of October 6th to 7th of an unusual occurrence in the Gaza Strip and made the wrong decision to continue the regular routine, not to mobilize forces and not to wake anyone up at the political level, a decision that cost us 1,200 civilians who were murdered, butchered, raped and burned in the terrible massacre committed by Hamas, and 250 kidnapped people, some of whom are still suffering in the tunnels in Gaza in Hamas captivity," he said.
According to Smotrich, "If he had a little self-respect and a little integrity and responsibility, he would have put the keys on the table of his own initiative in shame for October 8th and locked himself in his house after that without putting his nose outside the door for the rest of his life. In a civilized country, if he had not done this alone, the political level would have ousted him immediately. In President Biden's America, it took the head of the Secret Service three days after the attempted assassination of Trump to give back the keys and take responsibility for the failure."
"Bar is rewriting history with fabricated investigations and is now imposing himself on the political echelon, having been forcefully elected by the attorney general and the Supreme Court. Bar is causing a huge injustice to thousands of dedicated employees of the ISA who do sacred work for the security of Israel, dragging them against their will into the center of a public storm, using them as a tool and turning them into hostages in his personal struggle, shaking them and the organization and seriously damaging the public's trust in the organization.
"But on the flip side, this moment could become a defining moment, a blessing in disguise, a moment when the law and the legal profession are forced to understand the limits of power. A moment when everyone will understand that while the law may be able to impose technique, it simply cannot impose substance," he said.
Smotrich noted, "After the entire government unanimously expressed a lack of confidence in the head of the Shin Bet and decided to terminate his term on the basis of an explicit law that states that the government is authorized to do so, the power-drunk Supreme Court judges issued an interim order that forces the government to continue Ronen Bar's term. From that moment on, Ronen Bar is the head of the Shin Bet under the auspices of the Supreme Court. He continues to receive a paycheck as head of the Shin Bet, on the door of his office at the organization's headquarters there is a sign that says 'Head of the Shin Bet,' he has a driver and a car like the head of the Shin Bet.
"But, that's it. The court cannot impose trust and interpersonal relationships. It cannot force me to listen to him, to take him seriously in making decisions, to trust him and to give him confidence. I have no confidence in the head of the Shin Bet, I believe he is a resounding security failure and democratic understanding goes beyond that. There is no judge in the world who can force me to trust him, to have good interpersonal working relationships with him, and to reach decisions with him."
He continued, "Just as the law cannot force the sun to shine in the west, just as it cannot force couples to continue living together in love and trust, it cannot force a government to fulfill its responsibility for Israel's security through failed people who push us into the abyss over and over and over again. The attempt to force the government to have the Shin Bet head serve is yet another peak of absurdity that illustrates the court's disconnect from reality."
"So I have no intention of sitting in discussions if he is present. If he comes to cabinet discussions (which were stipulated by law and supposedly the Supreme Court forced him to be invited) I will leave when he speaks. As far as I am concerned, starting on the 10th of this month, he is the Shin Bet head on behalf of the Supreme Court, and the arrogant Supreme Court judges are invited to sit with him and discuss with him any issue they see fit," he stated.
"I very much hope that the government will soon be able to appoint a new head to this all-important organization, a head who understands security and intelligence, but also democracy, a head who will heal the organization, embrace his people, restore their trust, and lead them in the face of the great security challenges facing the State of Israel," Smotrich concluded.