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Former Israeli security chief sues Netanyahu over Oct. 7 defamation
Ronen Bar seeks 3 million shekels in damages, alleging the PM knowingly blamed him for security failures weeks before elections.
What happened
Ronen Bar, former chief of Israel's Shin Bet domestic security agency, filed a 134-page defamation lawsuit against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, alleging that the PM falsely accused him of "criminal failures" and "lying to cover himself" regarding responsibility for the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack.
Bar's lawsuit, filed at the Central District Court in Lod just 13 days before Israel's October 27 election, seeks 3 million shekels (roughly $968,500) in damages. Bar contends that Netanyahu made accusations he knew to be false to divert blame from his own responsibility for October 7. Instead, Bar argues, it was Netanyahu's policies over several years that had increased dangers posed by terrorist organizations in Gaza.
The dispute centers on whether Bar adequately warned Netanyahu ahead of the attack. Bar maintains that Shin Bet shared available intelligence with Netanyahu's military secretariat and that he instructed staff to update the military secretariat before the attack began. He disputes Netanyahu's claim that he could have prevented the assault if only Bar had called him directly—noting that Bar did not have Netanyahu's personal phone number.
Netanyahu responded through his Likud party, stating Bar had his number on the "red line" and asking how many lives could have been saved had Bar called in time. Netanyahu's former military secretary, Avi Gil, separately alleged this week that Netanyahu's office had "falsified records related to October 7," including altering the recorded time of a key phone call.
Bar is seeking disclosure of relevant documents held by Netanyahu alongside the damages award. The case arrives as Netanyahu faces broader criticism for security failures on October 7 and is currently on trial for corruption.
Chanakya's Move
Bar's move is a counter-offensive in a blame game that has consumed Israeli politics since October 7. Netanyahu has positioned himself as the architect of regional military success (air strikes on Iran, degradation of Hezbollah and Hamas) while shifting accountability for pre-attack intelligence failures onto security agencies. Bar's lawsuit attacks Netanyahu's core election narrative by (a) documenting that Netanyahu received warnings, (b) making the defamation claim itself a public signal of Netanyahu's willingness to falsify records (via Gil's allegations), and (c) forcing the release of documents Netanyahu controls. Bar bets that voters and courts will penalize Netanyahu for scapegoating rather than take responsibility. Netanyahu's counter is to frame Bar as the one who failed to act decisively when he had the chance—a leadership narrative. The court filing less than two weeks before elections is itself a strategic choice: maximum visibility, minimum time for Netanyahu to manage the narrative.