Israel Weekly News Roundup: Apr 18, 2025
Five things you need to know
Israel at War - Day 559
1. Investigation of Shin Bet Leak Leads to Further Deterioration of the Already Hostile Relationship Between PM Netanyahu and Head of the Organization, Ronen Bar
An incident, in which a senior Shin Bet officer is suspected of leaking a classified document to a politician and two journalists, was investigated over the last few days. The officer was detained and later released to house arrest. The exposure of the case opened a tsunami of aggression towards the Shin Bet, from PM Netanyahu together with all his ministers and political allies. They all claimed that the head of Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, needs to resign immediately, since he uses the secret service to take revenge against PM Netanyahu and his right-wing government. They further claimed that this is a politically motivated investigation.
The leak was of a document that indicated that the Shin Bet opened a classified inquiry concerning suspicions that racists and fascists forces were taking control of the police. It is no secret that the minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, comes from a school of thoughts affiliated with racism and he was even convicted for terror. The Shin Bet suspected that his followers still adhere to this ideology and they are taking control of the police. The Shin Bet officer leaked the document to two journalists, one of them immediately complained that the investigation is offensive towards press freedom.
On the other hand, PM Netanyahu and his partners in the coalition immediately attacked the Shin Bet for opening a political investigation stating that the investigation was initiated because PM Netanyahu decided to fire Bar. They claim that the Shin Bet cannot open an investigation of people in office. The case of the wish to fire Ronen Bar is waiting for a ruling from the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile the relationship between the Shin Bet director and PM Netanyahu is deteriorating . PM Netanyahu excludes him from cabinet meetings, minister of finance, Betsalel Smotritch also announced that he will not participate in a cabinet meeting if Ronen Bar is invited. Earlier this week PM Netanyahu visited Gaza and did not invite Shin Bet director, Bar, to join him, as part of the usual protocol.
2. Macron Calls for Palestinian State
In an extremely vulgar X tweet Yair Netanyahu, the eldest son of PM Netanyahu responded to a tweet by French President Emmanuel Macron: “screw you”.Macron tweeted about the need to establish a Palestinian state, and that France may recognize a Palestinian state in the near future. Netanyahu the son responded in English on the X platform: “Yes to independence of New Caledonia! Yes to independence to French Polynesia! Yes to independence of Corsica! Yes to independence of the Basque Country! Yes to independence of French Guinea! Stop the neo-imperialism of France in west Africa!” he added,. Younger Netanyahu is known for his violent, vulgar and provocative posts on social media platforms. He has no limits and doesn’t care about diplomacy and manners. Yair Netanyahu, 33, lives in Miami Fl. In the last two years while not officially employed by anybody, he has been intensively involved in the political scene in Israel.
A few days later, PM Netanyahu spoke to President Macron. He rejected his son’s language but did not distance himself from the content. “I love my son Yair, a true Zionist worried for the future of the country. Like every citizen, he is also entitled to his personal opinion, though the style of his response to President Macron’s tweets calling for the establishment of a Palestinian state is unacceptable to me” he said later. PM Netanyahu denounced President Macrons intentions to recognize a Palestinian state in the coming future. He said that establishing a Palestinian state will be like giving a prize for the October 7th attack and a prize to terror. If France recognizes a Palestinian state it would be the most important European state to do so after Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and Norway. Israel closed its’ embassy in Ireland after their recognition of Palestine, recalled the ambassador from Oslo, but the embassy in Norway is still open.
President Macron soon after, spoke to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss how to advance a Palestinian State.
3. Hamas and Islamic Jihad Release Videos of Two Hostages and Protests Against Minister Dermer Intensify
On Passover eve, Hamas released a video of Edan Alexander, a soldier of dual American Israeli citizenship who has been held hostage since October 7th. Alexander’s family approved the airing of the video the following day and said in a media statement: “when you sit down to mark Passover, remember that this is not a holiday of freedom as long as Edan and the other 58 hostages are not home."
Alexander’s aunt spoke at a rally near the home of Ron Dermer, minister of strategic affair, who replaced the heads of the Shin Bet and the Mossad as the lead negotiator for the ceasefire/hostage deal with Hamas. At the rally, Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz said: “your mission is to stall until there's no one left to save”, referring to a CNN story citing U.S. officials who expressed their frustration with the lack of progress in ceasefire/hostage deal talks since Dermer’s appointment by PM Netanyahu as chief negotiator. The sources told CNN that since Dermer’s appointment there’s a “significant difference in momentum,” adding that “there is a clear shift in [Israeli] priorities,” and that “negotiations are seemingly being politicized from the Israeli team .Zangauker and other hostages’ family members also spoke of the harsh conditions in which the hostages were held, their deteriorating physical and mental conditions, and the imminent danger to their lives. Family members and their supporters criticized minister Dermer for refusing to meet with them despite their repeated requests and called on Dermer to reach a deal for the release of all hostages or resign.
Several days later, Palestinian Islamic Jihad released a video of hostage Rom Braslavski. The video was the second sign of life since he was kidnapped 18 months ago, and the first visual documentation. In the video, Braslavski address PM Netanyahu, as well President Trump, saying: "Trump, where are you? Where are your promises? Didn't you tell us everyone will be released in a deal?"
4. Thousands of Former Combatants, Artists and Physicians Call to End War and Release All Hostages
Both Israeli and international media reported this week that more than 25,000 people - from former Air Force combat pilots and former security forces senior officials, to writer and artists - signed open letters and petitions calling for the immediate release of all hostages and an end to the fighting in Gaza.
The current wave of public outcry by former combatants started with an open letter – published in major Israeli newspapers – signed by hundreds of Air Force reservists and former combatants that stipulated that the fighting in Gaza now serves only personal and political purposes and has no clear military goals. The signatories to the combat pilots’ letter called for the immediate return of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas through a deal, and called upon the Israeli public to echo the same demand. Following the publication of the letter, the IDF fired the Air Force reservists who signed the open letter and are still on active duty. This led to a wave of public criticism, as signatories cited their right to express their views as concerned citizens. In response to the Air Force reservists’ letter, PM Netanyahu said that they were an 'an anarchistic group of pensioners' backed by foreign-funded organizations aiming to 'overthrow' his government.
The dismissal of the Air Force reservists also caused a wave of additional open letters and petitions. According to Israeli media, more than 25,000 people signed open letters calling for the immediate release of all hostages and an end to the war in Gaza. This includes thousands of higher education professors and education officials, armored corps soldiers, former Shin Bet and Mossad officials, IDF intel reservists, as well as writers and artists.
Israeli media also reported an increase in the number of reservists who refuse to show up when called again for military duty. The reports cited a rapid decline in the support for the continuation of the war in Gaza as it is no longer motivated by Israel’s security needs and interests nor by the release of the remaining hostages.
5. A Dog Rescued in Gaza Returned to It’s Family in Israel
Billy, a Cavalier King Charles dog, that was abducted on October 7th from it’s home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, was found by a soldier in Gaza earlier this week. The soldier decided to take the dog with him to Israel, because it was following him and looking for attention. He added that the dog joined him at the Seder - the Jewish Passover eve. The soldier took the dog to a veterinary clinic where they checked and found that it had a microchip, with the details of the family who owned it. The family is from Kibbutz Nir Oz, where one quarter of the people there were either murdered or abducted to Gaza. The dog was returned to Rachel Dancyg, whose ex husband Alex and brother Dani Elgerat were both abducted and murdered in captivity. Nir Oz is the icon of the neglect of the army and other security forces on October 7. No security forces came to rescue them, and they only arrived hours after all Hamas, Jihad and other militants ended the slaughter, abductions and looting. Some of the family members were murdered.
On Wednesday the dog was re-united with its’ family after 18 months.
