Israeli divisions have been broadening as officials are trading blame over handling the conditions in the occupied West Bank and Al-Quds.
Israeli internal security service Shin Bet warned Thursday that rising attacks by illegal Israeli settlers, who are backed by so-called National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, on Palestinians and their property in the occupied West Bank and Al-Quds could lead to a collapse of the so-called Israeli national security.
The warning came in a message sent by Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Israel’s Channel 12.
In the message, Bar cautioned that “the increasing crimes committed by settlers in the West Bank will lead to an explosion of violence and further bloodshed between both sides, ultimately causing a national security collapse in Israel,” it reported.
Reacting to this, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid described Bar’s remarks as “a final warning against the next disaster.”
“The government will not be able to claim ‘we did not know.’ The prime minister will not be able to say, ‘They did not pull the lapels of my coats.’ They have been warned. The government of disasters is once again marching towards the next collapse of national security,” Lapid posted on the social media platform X.
He called for the removal of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and his group of extremists “from any decision-making center,” adding that “the mass violations of the law in Yosh (West Bank) need to be stopped with a heavy hand.”
Ben Gvir Calls for Removal of Bar
For his part, Ben Gvir demanded the dismissal of Bar and stormed out of a cabinet meeting on Thursday, after Israeli media published his letter.
The Israel Hayom and Maariv newspapers said that Netanyahu and other ministers defended Bar after Ben Gvir accused the Shin Bet head of responsibility for the intelligence failures that led to the October 7 events.
The Police Minister accused Bar of “failure in intelligence and constantly turning a blind eye to terrorism and the enemy that planned mass murder for years.”
Ben Gvir added that the Shin Bet chief aligned with the protest movement against the government’s judicial overhaul, which he argued weakened the Israeli military.
Elsewhere, he also accused Bar of inciting against him and “interfering with politics.”
Source: Israeli media
