Ronen Bar's first speech after being fired
Half a year after leaving his post, former ISA director Ronen Bar criticized the Prime Minister over the October 7th massacre and called for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry.
Former ISA director Ronen Bar spoke today (Tuesday) at the Cyber Week conference at Tel Aviv University, half a year after he left his post. It was his first public speech since leaving his position.
In his remarks he addressed the October 7th massacre , criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and called for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry to examine all the failures involved
Bar mentioned the fallen, Ofir Shoshani and Hersh Goldberg-Polin, and said, "Behind the numbers are men and women and faces. People like Ofir and Hersh could have been sitting here with us today and contributing to us as a technological power. Only when you see them - you understand the meaning of responsibility and the true price when we are wrong and fail."
He also added, hinting at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "In leadership it is preferable to take responsibility for failures - and not credit for achievements."
Regarding the events of the mourning in October, he said, "On that terrible morning, personally, organizationally and nationally the ISA held its head high and went to war. Our people fought under fire, eliminated terrorists and promised: we will come to settle accounts with everyone. Two architects remain who still need to be confronted and to return Ran Gvili."
Bar shared that an in-depth internal investigation was carried out in the ISA, focused primarily on the organization's own failures. "We did it out of responsibility to investigate the truth and to build the future. The only way to truly learn, dispel dangerous conspiracies and ensure this does not recur - is a state commission of inquiry, with professionals who see the full picture."
He claimed that refraining from such a decision could lead to another disaster: "Once we did not decide and did not investigate the entire system, we in fact prescribed the next October 7th massacre . Let's stop bickering and start working with the aim of being better."