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Israel's head of the National Intelligence Bureau accused Benjamin Netanyahu of demanding preparations to rebel against the country's Supreme Court as he has given a series of allegations against the prime minister who is trapped in a legal battle.
In an affidavit to the Supreme Court on Monday, Singh Bet's Loneen Barr said he was asked to use the powers of the spying agency to monitor anti-government protesters and to halt the prime minister's ongoing corruption trial.
The document was filed prior to further deliberation by the judge on whether Netanyahu could legally fire the spy chief. His government dismissed Barr last month, but the Supreme Court issued an injunction halting removal until its legality was resolved.
It came amid wider clashes between the government and Israeli judicial authorities. In his affidavit, Barr said that Netanyahu demanded in a future constitutional standoff that he “must follow the Prime Minister, not the Supreme Court.”
Since that request was made, concerns have risen that if Netanyahu's government refuses to comply with the Supreme Court's ruling, Barr's termination itself could trigger a constitutional crisis.
The document stated that Singh Bett's leader had tried to politicize the domestic intelligence reporting agency for his own personal and political purposes, adding that the rift between the two men stems from his refusal to reject the bar.
“The origins (of my firing) were not in the professional dimensions, but rather in line with my expectations of personal loyalty,” Burr wrote.
Barr said Israel was involved in multiple conflicts and refused to push by Netanyahu late last year to issue security justifications.
He had also refused to use his agency's powerful intelligence reporting tools to spy on protesters against the government, he wrote in the official portion of the affidavit.
Barr said the complete document contains evidence of all his claims.
Netanyahu's office said “Lonen Bar's affidavit is full of lies and reveals his mistakes.”
Social media allies, including Netanyahu's government and son Yaea, have escalated attacks on bars in recent weeks, in which he has charged with treason, running “secret police” and “civil militias.”
These attacks formed part of a wider government public attack on what Netanyahu called the “deep state.”
Israeli legal authorities, including Singh Bett, are investigating top Netanyahu aides on charges that allegedly leaked classified documents by lobbying paid leave on Qatar's behalf.
In addition to Barr, the government has attempted to remove the Attorney General and refused to grant the appointment of the current Supreme Court's Supreme Court appointment, but the military chief of staff and the Minister of Defense have already been removed from their positions.
Netanyahu's allies, along with other security chiefs, have occasionally raised conspiracy theories that suggested that Barr simply allowed the October 7 attack on Israel to resign as Prime Minister.
In his affidavit, Barr called such an allegation “shin bet”;
He said he had directed the commander of Netanyahu's military chief to be notified of irregular intelligence news signs from Gaza more than an hour before Hamas' devastating attack.
Netanyahu said Monday that his military aides were only notified minutes before the October 7 attack on Palestinian extremists. He either demanded action to postpone his trial or denied calling for “illegal conduct” against anti-government protesters.
“Lonenber is the father of the failed (October 7) and he has to go home,” Netanyahu added.
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The Prime Minister has consistently refused to acknowledge responsibility for the worst loss of life in Israel's history, and has hampered the creation of a National Inquiry Commission to investigate the attacks in full.
On Sunday, opposition leader Yair Lapid warned the target bar, citing “unprecedented levels of instigation and insanity.”
Rapid added: “If we don't stop this, here's a political assassination. We'll probably kill more than one person. The Jews will kill the Jews.”
Barr previously admitted responsibility for his failure to allow Hamas to attack, and said he intends to resign before the end of his term.
In the affidavit, he said he would set a date for his departure “in the near future,” but said the court hearings are important to ensure that his successors are apolitical, professional and law-abiding.
