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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Tuesday that he is reversing his decision to appoint former Navy commander, Admiral Eli Sharvit as the head of Shin Bet, just 24 hours after naming him the designated replacement to Ronen Bar. The Prime Minister's office (PMO) said in a statement that Sharvit was informed of the decision on Monday. “Netanyahu met with Sharvit on Monday night, thanked him for his willingness to serve in the role but informed him that after further consideration, he intends to consider other candidates.”
Netanyahu's decision followed pressure from political allies and criticism from the right-wing hardliners over Sharvit’s participation in protests against the government. Some allies of the prime minister said the reason for the change was an article he wrote in ynet's sister publication Calcalist, criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump's climate policies.
Sharvit wrote that by ignoring the risks to posed by the climate crisis, Trump was sending the world into the abyss. On Monday, Trump ally Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said in a post that Sharvit's appointment to head the Shin Bet was "beyond problematic."
"The statements made by Eli Sharvit about President Trump and his polices [sic] will create unnecessary stress at a critical time. My advice to my Israeli friends is change course and do better vetting," Graham wrote.
Sharvit said he had agreed to accept the offer from the prime minister tocontinue serving the State of Israel. "This decision came with full confidence in the ability of Shin Bet to face the complex challenges it currently faces and with a humble belief in my ability to lead it in doing so. Serving the interests of the state, its security, and the safety of its citizens will always be my top priority.”
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Protesters march demonstrating against the government's legislative efforts to weaken the judiciary
(Photo: Yuval Chen)
Netanyahu named Sharvit despite an injuction from the Supreme Court preventing him from firing the current chief, Ronen Bar pending a hearing later this month.
Petitioners to the court claimed Netanyahu's motivation for removing Bar was the ongoing investigation in to the involvment of senior members of his close circle, with Qatar. On Monday, two of Netanyahu's advisors were arrested as part of the investigation dubbed Qatargate, on suspicion of contact with foreign agents and money laundering. Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
Netanyahu said the probe was Bar's attempt to remove a democratically elected right-wing prime minister and government and that his aid's arrest was an attempt to prevent the firing of the Shin Bet chief. He also said his aids were being held hostage by his political opponents, a statement that sparked outrage among families of Israeli hostages held captive by Hamas in Gaza since the Oct. 7 massacre.
According to a source close to Netanyahu, the prime minister was aware that Sharvit had attended a protest but decided to appoint him anyway because he was not a regular participant and did not address the protesters. But others in his camp cited the article slamming Trump, which the sources said Netanyahu was unaware of.