In recordings that were revealed on Sunday on Channel 12, Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar is heard saying that he intends to accept accountability and resign soon.
The recording was from a conversation with a bereaved father who wondered why Bar was refusing to resign. "Everyone, certainly the one who announced, even before seeing an inquiry about him, and that inquiry confirmed it to me, that he will accept accountability, you must at least allow them the option to resign and implement the accountability. That option was not given to me."
He added: "Acceoting accountability means resigning, unequivocally I tell you, resigning. And not two days before the term is over, that's just a symbolic resignation. You know, we in these positions always take into account competing values. And I very much believe in the value of accountability, and I think that without accountability, there is no leadership. I have a daily dilemma about this, as far as the security of our citizens is concerned, in deciding what the exact right time is for me to do this."
In response to the bereaved father's criticism of the crisis surrounding his dismissal, Bar stated: "I know, it wasn't easy for me to see the images from the court, I wasn't there, but I saw them. I'm in a very complex position, first of all because I can't say what I think, and the system that I thought was the correct one to check and bring the truth to light, can't do so at the moment.
"That's not the reason that I'm staying, I'm not the one who will decide this, and I also meant every word when I said I meant to resign. However, I feel uncomfortable defending my opinion. I just want to tell you that this sits on me more than anything else. I do not want to continue in the job. I feel that if they knew the details, even if they don't agree with my way at the moment, and not for a long time, they would at least understand how deep the concern is, a true, deep concern. There's no political or ideological matter here, nothing, really not."
He told the bereaved father that his family is paying a heavy price. "I pay my own price. My daughter can't go to school, she has to hear the provocations that come from the authorities, which are the opposite of what happened on the night of October 7th. But I've always had my priorities straight, 35 years in security, I certainly won't crush them in the final weeks on the job. It's the state, the organization, and after that, me."