Far-left MK: Netanyahu has declared war on Israel

By World Israel News Staff

Far-left MK Yair Golan of the Democrats party has slammed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his decision to fire Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, saying that the move is equivalent to a “declaration of war” against the state of Israel.

Golan, who has long been a vocal opponent of the premier, added that he will lead “tremendous resistance” aimed at preventing Netanyahu from removing Bar from office.

His sentiments were echoed by fellow opposition MK and Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid, who said in a media statement that the decision to fire Bar was due to alleged ties between Netanyahu’s staff and Qatar.

The Shin Bet is currently investigating contacts between Netanyahu’s aides and the Gulf Kingdom, but Lapid did not provide evidence for his allegations that the probe had motivated Netanyahu to fire Bar.

National Unity party chairman Benny Gantz said that Bar’s termination is “a direct blow to the security of the state and the dismantling of unity in Israeli society for political and personal reasons.”

Coalition politicians applauded the move to fire Bar, with MK Avi Maoz of the Noam party tweeting “this is what democracy looks like. This is how you defeat the Deep State.”

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionism) called the move “a necessary step,” writing on X that Bar should have stepped down shortly after the October 7th massacres.

“This is something I have been demanding for a long time – better late than never. There is no place in a democratic country for officials who act politically against elected leaders,” Otzma Yehudit head and former National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir tweeted.

He added that Israel’s right-wing parties must “learn from President Trump to eradicate the Deep State.”

With Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara claiming that Bar cannot be dismissed without approval from her office, the timeline for Bar’s departure from office remains unclear.