Shin Bet Leader: Jewish Terrorism Out of Control in West Bank
The head of Israel's Shin Bet security agency, Ronen Bar, criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, National Security Minister ITamar Ben-Gvir and others for the spiraling terror of Jewish immigrants in the West Bank. Bar said the actions of Jewish extremists in the West Bank, known as Hilltop Youth, who are waging a campaign of murder, arson and intimidation against Palestinians, should be classified as terrorism, not crime.
The head of Israel's Shin Bet security agency has warned the country's leadership that Jewish terrorism in the West Bank has gotten out of control and has become a serious threat to national security, writes The Guardian.
Ronen Bar wrote about this in a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Attorney General and members of the Israeli Cabinet. Some of them are open supporters of extremist groups that are fueling the violence.
One of the criticized - Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir called for the dismissal of the head of Shabak. But it drew a rebuke from Defense Minister John Gallant on Friday.
Barr's letter focuses on Jewish extremists, violent militants known as Hilltop Youth in the West Bank, who are waging a campaign of murder, arson and intimidation against Palestinians.
Barr said their actions should be classified as terrorism, not crime.
"It's not a crime because it's the use of intimidation. This is terror, " he wrote. The security chief said the militants had switched from " lightning bolts to weapons of war", adding that some of these weapons were provided by the state.
The terror campaign, the letter said, "has been a great stain on Judaism and all of us."
The Shin Bet director spoke of Ben-Gvir's "spectacle" last month when he arrived at al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's holiest site, and the Qubbatus-Sahra complex in Jerusalem. The Temple Mount is also sacred to Jews, but for decades it was agreed that only Muslims could worship there, even though Jews could enter it. There, on July 18, Ben-Gvir prayed in front of the cameras and promised to turn things around.
Barr warned that such actions could lead to "much bloodshed and change the face of the state beyond recognition".
The nationalist leadership, concluded Bar, "was ready to jeopardize the security and existence of the state" in the name of its ideology.
N12 reported that Ben-Gvir walked out of a meeting of Israel's security cabinet after Bar's letter and called for his dismissal.
While Netanyahu has yet to say whether to fire Bari, he has criticized Shabak chief and foreign spy agency Mossad director David Barney for his role in the Gaza peace talks, saying they are willing to sacrifice Israel's security for a deal to release Hamas hostages.
However, in the dispute between Bar and Ben-Gvir, Netanyahu sided with the security minister .
Barr's letter, sent last week but published late Thursday by Israel's Channel 12 news, exposes the wide and sharp divide between the far-right wing of Netanyahu's coalition and Israel's security apparatus.
