Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar met opposition leader Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz, at the same time as his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and called for both sides to push peaceful discourse, following the political storm surrounding the planned reform of the justice system and his fears that a political assassination on behalf of the protesters could be near.
Dvir Kariv, a former Shin Bet member, spoke this morning to the radio hosts of the 103FM station and responded to Barโs meetings: "This is something very, very unusual, the third time this has happened in Israel, the first time it happened with Kermi Gilon before Rabin's murder when he warned the politicians said we are close to a political murder and we remember how it ended.
โA year or so ago, Nadav Argaman, the former head of the Shin Bet, said this in the third or fourth round of elections, that the discourse could also heat up to a state of ideological violence. And this time is the third time. What is especially unique and unusual this time is this is the first time he is speaking also about the possibility that it will come from the other side, from the protesters, and this is a truly unusual warning."
Signatories include former Shin Bet chief Nadav Argaman, former Mossad directors Tamir Pardo and Danny Yatom, ex-police commissioner Shlomo Aharonishki and former national security adviser Uzi Arad. @cisorgil https://t.co/clG1yeAZOP
โ David A. Halperin (@dhalperin) February 16, 2023
Kariv added that "since I know that the head of the Shin Bet is not an official but an operational, professional field person, who is designed to thwart terrorism and preserve democracy, I understand from this that he is saying 'there is information, I have hard intelligence that this is what might happen, and I am attaching it to information on social networks about all the more soโ.
ืืฉื"ื ืืขืืจื ืืืคืืื ??
โ Dvir Kariv (@DvirKariv) February 20, 2023
ืชืืื, @YairNetanyahu ืืืืช! - ืื ืืงืืช ืืช ืืืืืจืื ืืืื ???
ืืื ืื ืฉืขื ืืืื, ืืืืคื ืฉื ืื..., ืืื ืืืืช ืจืื'ื ืืืื ืื ื ืช/ืขืืืจ ืืืฉื/ืฉืืืจ ืคื ืืคื ืฉื ืืื ?? ืืชื ืืืืขืื ืืจื ืฉืืฉ ืฉื ืืขืื.. ืื ืืคืื ืื ! ืืื ืืืืง ืืืืืืื ืืฉืจืื !! ืื ืืืืง !
(ืืื, ืืื ืืืง ืื ืื??)
ืืืฉื !!! pic.twitter.com/rykFOWY3Mc
โIt seems as if the analysis means that if this law is passed as written and spoken, the rupture and the earthquake in Israel will be even, I say, more serious than the earthquake of Rabin's murder.
"I don't see intelligence anymore, but the fact that the head of the Shin Bet says this means that it is probably from both sides of the political bench. This is a very serious, very extreme situation, which must lead our leaders to speak. Benny Gantz is the only one so far who said โI'm ready to talk'. The time has come, after the first reading, for all the politicians on both sides of the fence to say so as well," the former Shin Bet head concluded.
