Netanyahu drops bombshell Oct. 7 accusation against former official

Comptroller reportedly stunned after prime minister claims head of security agency forged documents after failing to alert government on the morning of Oct. 7.

By World Israel News Staff

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday accused the former head of the Shin Bet security agency of forging documents from October 7, 2023, to cover up the agency’s failure to respond to the impending Hamas invasion.

The prime minister attended a closed-door session of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, during which he dropped the bombshell accusation against Ronen Bar, the former head of the Shin Bet who was fired by the Netanyahu government last year.

During his testimony to the committee, Netanyahu said that on the morning of October 7, 2023, the agency compiled a dossier at 5:15 a.m., slightly more than an hour before the Hamas invasion of Israel began, compiling all security alerts received overnight to be presented to the prime minister.

At 9:47 a.m., Netanyahu said, his office received the overnight security assessment, more than four hours after Shin Bet officials had assembled the dossier.

Netanyahu emphasized that the document his office received did not include instructions to immediately update the Prime Minister’s Office – a major security failure – which, according to the prime minister, contributed to Israel’s failure to respond properly to the invasion.

However, subsequent versions of the dossier circulated by the Shin Bet included instructions to notify Netanyahu immediately.

Bar, Netanyahu told lawmakers, forged the revised version of the dossier pushed by the Shin Bet after the Oct. 7 invasion in an attempt to shift responsibility for the security failures from the agency to the Prime Minister’s Office.

The version of the dossier with the instructions bears Bar’s signature.

Netanyahu also told lawmakers that he has already notified State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman of the alleged forgery, claiming that the comptroller was stunned by the revelation.

The prime minister also used the meeting to accuse rival political leaders and former security chiefs of promoting failed policies vis-a-vis the Gaza Strip and opposing large-scale operations against Hamas.

Netanyahu emphasized that there was no evidence of treason on Oct. 7 but said there was a major failure of the intelligence community.

Citing protocols from security cabinet hearings over the past few years, Netanyahu said that Bar, Naftali Bennett, Gadi Eisenkot, and Benny Gantz had promoted the status quo approach and consistently resisted stronger action against Hamas.

“Bennett always opposed the conquest of Gaza,” Netanyahu said of the former premier.

Opposition lawmakers angrily protested Netanyahu’s comments, with some storming out of the hearing.