The Shin Bet denies opening any investigation aimed at rooting out members of outlawed extreme right groups from the police or among the political leadership, after a Channel 12 news report claimed they had opened such a probe, linking the move to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.
A statement from the agency clarifies that “there was no Shin Bet investigation on the matter, toward police or politicians, and there is no Shin Bet probe now either.”
The statement says Shin Bet head Ronen Bar clarified the matter with police chief Daniel Levy in a phone call.
The Channel 12 report had included a Shin Bet statement that appeared to at least partially confirm the report, with the agency noting its role in thwarting outlawed Kahanist groups from gaining a foothold in state institutions.
On X, Ben Gvir, a former Kahane disciple, says Bar should be put on trial “for trying to engineer a coup against democracy,” adding that he won’t be satisfied with the Shin Bet’s chief’s firing, currently in the process of being implemented amid a bruising fight with the judiciary.
“Bar is a criminal and a liar,” he alleges.
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