Former Heads and Officials of the Shin Bet: Netanyahu Evades Personal Responsibility for the October 7 Attack

SadaNews - On Friday, five former heads of the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and 31 former officials sent a strongly worded letter against the current head of Shin Bet, David Zini, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, expressing their "astonishment at Zini's silence" regarding what they described as campaigns of defamation and abuse against agency personnel.

In their letter, they stated that "the Prime Minister, through his actions and behavior, harms the entire security system, particularly the Israel Security Agency"; this comes against the backdrop of Netanyahu's response to the state comptroller regarding the failure of October 7, 2023, through a document comprising 55 pages, where he refrained from taking any personal responsibility, instead choosing to place the majority of the blame on the security establishment and previous governments, including former Shin Bet head Ronen Bar and his associates.

The Shin Bet heads and former officials stated that "the attacks on 'the channels of the house' as well as the dissemination of conspiracy theories and the writing of the biased 55-page document that the Prime Minister sent last week to the state comptroller, which uses classified materials and is drafted unilaterally without granting the right of response to those defamed in it, are part of the Prime Minister's attempts, with the help of his spokespersons, to distance himself from any responsibility for the October 7, 2023 attack."

They noted that this aims to "prepare public opinion, particularly his (Netanyahu's) supportive base, for the idea that there is no need for an official investigative committee, considering that the guilty parties have been predetermined."

Zini's Silence and Diverting Attention from Netanyahu's Responsibility?

They also called on the head of the Shin Bet, David Zini, to take action against the smear campaigns, demanding he respond firmly to the "abuse of the agency’s employees and the dissemination of false conspiracy theories, such as the false claims of betrayal on the eve of October 7, and the fabricated reports of an alleged meeting between southern area Shin Bet personnel and a Hamas brigade commander the day before" the attack.

The former heads and officials of the Shin Bet emphasized in their letter that "the personnel of the security system, led by Shin Bet head Ronen Bar and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, took responsibility and resigned. The only one continuously working to absolve himself of any responsibility is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with the assistance of his coalition partners."

They stated that "it is an unlawful attempt to divert attention and detach the Prime Minister from any responsibility for" the attack and to prepare public opinion against the establishment of an official investigative committee by predetermining guilty parties without a fair legal process."

In conclusion, they stated that "the Israel Security Agency does not cease its war against the existential threats to Israel. The attack on the agency infiltrates its ranks, harms the morale of the fighters, and undermines the integrity of the institution in times of war. We demand the Prime Minister cease harming the agency and its employees and establish an official investigative committee without any further delay according to the law, in order to reach the truth in service of the State of Israel and its security."