Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir attacked Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, accusing him of attempting to stage a coup against the government.

In an interview with i24NEWS, Ben-Gvir said that Bar is "carrying out a coup," adding, "He is gathering evidence against an elected official," referring to investigations the Shin Bet chief was conducting into employees in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.

Ben-Gvir's public statements reveal the extent of the confrontation between the Israeli government and the head of the Shin Bet, whom Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed last Thursday in a move frozen by the Supreme Court and further fueled internal political disputes within Israel.

Netanyahu initially asked Bar to resign, but he refused. Netanyahu then publicly announced his intention to fire Bar, but Bar refused and defied him again. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara intervened, warning Netanyahu that he could not fire Bar. However, the prime minister held a cabinet meeting last Thursday that led to a vote to dismiss the Shin Bet chief, a move that caused a political and legal earthquake, united the opposition against Netanyahu and his government, and launched a series of protests that returned Israel to the divisions that existed before the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

The dismissal of the Shin Bet chief came at a time when the agency was investigating employees in Netanyahu's office, a situation that Attorney General Baharav-Miara described as a conflict of interest that prevented Bar from being fired.

But Netanyahu ignored this and proceeded with the decision until Israel's Supreme Court froze it, a decision that deepened the crisis. Baharav-Miara warned that the dismissal faced legal challenges, and the Supreme Court subsequently issued a temporary injunction suspending Bar's dismissal. Following the injunction, Baharav-Miara, whom the government is also seeking to dismiss, informed Netanyahu that he was legally barred from appointing a new Shin Bet chief or even conducting interviews for the position, including appointing an interim chief.

In response to the court order, the government said it could not be forced to work with a Shin Bet chief it did not trust. The government also rejected Baharav-Miara's claim of a conflict of interest. In a brief submitted to the court last Tuesday, it added that beginning the search for Barr's successor was of paramount importance to national security. It said the search would take about two weeks. The court approved interviews, but not Barr's dismissal at this time.

The Supreme Court is considering petitions filed by several opposition parties and NGOs against Barr's dismissal due to a conflict of interest.

Israeli opposition leaders, writers, analysts, former security officials, and Bar's predecessors as Shin Bet chiefs have warned that Netanyahu is dismantling the state and endangering Israeli democracy by appointing loyalists to head the security agency.

Never in Israel's history has a prime minister dismissed a Shin Bet chief. All former heads of the General Security Service have completed their terms, with the exception of two who resigned prematurely.

Bar had challenged Netanyahu and pledged to remain in office until all hostages from Gaza were returned and a government commission of inquiry was formed into the Hamas attack, a position the government opposes.

Bar's relationship with Netanyahu deteriorated significantly following the Hamas attack, with both sides accusing each other of responsibility and failure for the attack.