Dror Eydar
Israel Hayom, Mar. 21, 2025
“There is among us a reckless group interested in bringing about chaos and civil war; Ronen Bar played into their hands.”
- A Fundamental Gap That Must Be Preserved
It was cold in the province of Cisalpine Gaul on January 10, 49 BCE, as Julius Caesar’s soldiers marched southward toward Rome. Caesar had received orders from the Senate to end his role as governor of several provinces, but refused to accept this. On their way, his legions stood before the Rubicon, a small river in northern Italy flowing from the Apennine Mountains to the Adriatic Sea, marking the boundary between the provinces and the Republic.
Roman law was clear: a governor was forbidden from entering the territory of the Republic south of the Rubicon with his armies, since there his authority expired and he reverted to being a citizen subject to the Roman Senate. Crossing the Rubicon with military force was therefore open rebellion, using military power against the decision of the Senate representing the people. Thus began a civil war that led to the assassination of Julius Caesar on March 15, 44 BCE (or as my little daughter, Daria said: “This week 2,069 years and a few days ago”).
Historical analogies are complex due to different details and times. The crossing of the Rubicon can serve only as background and metaphor for the attempt by Shin Bet head Ronen Bar to undermine the government’s authority to terminate his position and appoint another in his place. From his initial response (before the clarification he published following the scandal that erupted) to the prime minister’s announcement, it was implied that he did not intend to accept his dismissal but to continue in his role until he completed his missions. In this, the head of the secret police crossed the Israeli Rubicon, challenging the authority of the sovereign and flaunting the considerable power of the organization he heads.
Even before this, former Shin Bet head Nadav Argaman threatened to use private information about the prime minister that he obtained in his official capacity. There is among us a reckless group interested in bringing about chaos and civil war; Ronen Bar played into their hands. Now his dismissal has become a matter of principle at the heart of the democratic regime: the fundamental gap that must be preserved between the elected level (the government) and the appointed level (officials), especially the security level that holds considerable power. The government must not retreat…..SOURCE