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The official, head of the Shin Bet’s Jewish Division, was heard discussing arrests of suspected Jewish extremists and saying: “We always want to arrest them for interrogation, as much as we can. We hold these jerks even without evidence, for a few days.” He also reportedly said suspects should be placed “in detention cells with rats.”
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar
(Photo: Yair Sagi, ABIR SULTAN/AFP, shutterstock)
The remarks triggered an immediate backlash from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, which called the comments a “real threat to democracy” and accused the Shin Bet of acting like a rogue intelligence agency. “Only in dark regimes does the secret service act this dangerously. There will not be a shadow government in Israel,” the statement read. The officials has suspended himself from activity in response to the controversy.
The controversy comes amid a deepening rift between Netanyahu and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, who is currently facing dismissal. The matter is expected to reach Israel’s High Court in the coming days.
During the conversation, the Shin Bet official discussed tactics with Israel Police Central District commander Avishai Muallem, who is himself at the center of a bribery probe. When Muallem cautioned that “they’ll tear us apart over this,” the official responded: “The Shin Bet chief’s office is dealing with it, along with the defense minister.”
The two also discussed operational steps, with the official suggesting: “You should have caught them in a car. Maybe they had flammable materials, maybe they smelled like gasoline.” When Muallem asked if they should just detain them without cause, the official replied: “We’ve been down this road before. So why aren’t there any arrests?”
He also attacked the IDF, saying: “The army doesn’t know anything. It’s not an army, it’s a joke. It’s militias. It’s the settlers themselves.” Following the report, Muallem was placed on forced leave.
In response, Netanyahu’s office issued a second statement calling for an investigation into the Jewish Division. “The disturbing recording poses a real threat to democracy. Citizens cannot be arrested without evidence and placed in illegal, inhumane conditions," the statement from the prime minister's office said.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich echoed the criticism. “For years we’ve warned about the Shin Bet’s draconian powers being used undemocratically and illegally against settlers. These recordings prove the criminality of the Jewish Division and the hypocrisy of the Israeli legal system, which has covered for its lies,” Smotrich said.
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He demanded the division head’s immediate firing and prosecution. “The same goes for Ronen Bar, who’s causing massive damage to the agency and eroding public trust. The Shin Bet is vital to national security but it needs urgent reform,” he said.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called the revelations “rattling” and said the official should be fired immediately. He accused the Shin Bet under Bar of acting like a “mafia,” persecuting settlers illegally and smearing IDF soldiers in the West Bank as “militias.”
Ben-Gvir also claimed the division fabricated a case against Muallem, a decorated police officer, because he refused to arrest right-wing activists suspected of Jewish terrorism. “Muallem stood by the law and refused to break it. In response, the Shin Bet used the Justice Ministry’s internal affairs unit as a tool and framed him. This is just the latest in a pattern of illegal surveillance and abuse,” according to Ben-Gvir
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National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich
(Photo: Alex Kolomoisky, AFP)
National Unity party leader Benny Gantz also condemned the comments, saying that “protecting detainees’ rights is a cornerstone of any democracy” and called for a full investigation. However, he criticized Netanyahu’s response as incitement. “The prime minister’s campaign against the Shin Bet and its agents is dangerous and damages national security,” Gantz said.
Interior Minister Moshe Arbel called on the Shin Bet’s internal watchdog to investigate the matter. “If true, this constitutes a deep violation of the principles of a lawful state,” he wrote.
Shin Bet response
In a statement, the Shin Bet said the remarks referred exclusively to “lawbreakers suspected of terrorism who took the law into their own hands.” However, the agency acknowledged that “the tone and content do not reflect the organization’s values or professional conduct,” and said the Shin Bet chief had ordered an internal inquiry.
It added that arrests of Israeli citizens suspected of terrorism are made based on intelligence assessments reviewed by senior officials and subject to judicial oversight. “That said, nothing justifies the language used in the conversation,” according to the statement.
First published: 09:23, 04.06.25