Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stunned the Shin Bet and the country early Monday morning appointing former naval chief Vice-Admiral (res.) Eli Sharvit as the new head of the agency.
Due to a petition to the High Court of Justice, the appointment will not go into effect before April 8, and may be further delayed.
In initial reactions from Shin Bet sources, V.-Adm. Sharvit was so unknown that most of them had little to say, despite a clear sense of shock that Netanyahu had not only not appointed a deputy Shin Bet chief to the role (which has been customary in recent decades), but took someone outside of the agency and even outside of IDF ground forces.
All hints from Netanyahu spokespeople had been that the four final candidates for the role were: recent deputy Shin Bet chief “M”, an earlier deputy Shin Bet chief Yair “Rolly” Sagi, former Shin Bet high command official Shalom Ben Hanan, and former Mossad high command official who had also served extensively in the Shin Bet Eyal Tzir Cohen.
It was known that Netanyahu was interviewing other candidates, but none of them had been taken seriously by the media and no one had named Sharvit.
However, there is nothing in Sharvit’s public record to indicate that he would be an ideological disrupter who would disrespect top Shin Bet officials, other than that he is not close to them since the navy and the agency have little to do with one another.
Who is Sharvit?
Sharvit served 36 years in the Israeli Navy, including as chief of staff from 2014-2016 and commander from 2016 until 2021. As commander, Sharvit led the development of maritime defense capabilities for Israel’s economic waters and directed complex operational campaigns against Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran, the PMO said.
It was also announced last week that Sharvit would be part of IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir’s external team that will be reviewing and implementing lessons from the October 7 attack.
Following this appointment, he will need to drop any involvement in that panel, but his appointment there could be a sign that he was not considered part of the same “club” as Bar and former IDF chief Herzi Halevi, who Netanyahu now reviles.
“The Prime Minister is convinced that V.-Adm. Sharvit is the right person to lead the Shin Bet forward and uphold the organization’s proud legacy,” the PMO added.
Firing of Ronen Bar
The firing of Ronen Bar has sparked mass protests across the country, with many considering the move a direct threat to democracy.
Netanyahu and Bar have been in a public war of words for the last six weeks since Bar’s Shin Bet opened a probe into top aides of the prime minister regarding the scandal known as Qatargate.
Qatargate refers to allegations that top Netanyahu aides were paid funds by Qatar in a way that could have impacted their handling of national security matters, including the hostage negotiations with Qatar and Hamas.
Netanyahu has also sought to shift blame from himself for failure to stop the October 7 disaster on the Shin Bet and the IDF, seeking Halevi and then Bar’s resignations, in order to highlight that blame.
High Court Justice Gila Kanfi-Steinitz wrote last week that she “did not see the need” to expand a temporary injunction freezing the firing of current head Bar such that it included a prohibition to interview new candidates. This effectively rejected the position of Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara, according to which the prime minister could not take any action that could affect Bar’s status, including interviews of new candidates.
This means that Netanyahu can name Sharvit, but Sharvit cannot take office before the April 8 High Court hearing.
The High Court may allow Sharvit to take office, may block his appointment due to Qatargate, or may seek a compromise allowing Bar to conclude the Qatargate probe, while allowing Sharvit to move into office as quickly as possible.
Mathilda Heller contributed to this report.
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