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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Monday morning that he has decided to appoint retired Vice Admiral Eli Sharvit, a former commander of the Israeli Navy, as the next head of the Shin Bet security agency.
In a statement from his office, Netanyahu said he had "thoroughly interviewed seven qualified candidates for the position." His surprise announcement comes more than a week before a Supreme Court hearing on the dismissal of the agency’s current director, Ronen Bar. Netanyahu’s plan to announce his nominee ahead of the court ruling was first reported Sunday by Ynet.
Sharvit served in the Israel Defense Forces for 36 years, including five years as Navy commander from 2016 to 2021. "In that role, he led the development of maritime defense capabilities for Israel’s exclusive economic zone and managed complex operations against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran," Netanyahu's office said.
The statement also addressed the significance of the appointment, saying: "The Shin Bet is a distinguished organization that went through a severe shock on October 7. The prime minister is confident that Vice Admiral Sharvit is the right person to lead the agency forward while preserving its proud legacy."
A surprise choice
Sharvit's selection is considered unexpected, as four other candidates were previously seen as frontrunners: Eyal Tsir Cohen, Yair Sagi, Deputy Shin Bet Chief "M," and Shalom Ben Hanan. Unlike these candidates, Sharvit has never served in the Shin Bet. However, he was recently appointed to a team established by IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir to review the military's investigations into the October 7 Hamas attack.
The last time a former Navy commander was appointed to lead the Shin Bet was after the 1995 assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, when Ami Ayalon took the position.
From the Navy to intelligence
Sharvit, 57, is married with three children. He was born in Sde Boker in southern Israel, the youngest of three siblings. His family later moved to Be’er Sheva, where he spent his childhood. In a 2021 exit interview at the end of his tenure as navy commander, he told Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth that his enlistment in the Navy was purely coincidental.
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Eli Sharvit is the first Naval commander to be named Shin Bet head since 1995
(Photo: Tal Shahar)
"I got a notice in the mail saying, ‘Volunteer for the Naval Officer Course,’ so I went. I wasn’t in a maritime scouting program or anything. I enlisted in 1985, joined the missile boat fleet, and completed the 18-month officer training course," he recalled.
Sharvit spent his entire career in the IDF's naval forces, alternating between operational and staff roles. In 2006, he was deputy commander of the missile boat flotilla (3rd Fleet) before later becoming its commander. He then served as the navy’s Haifa base commander, deputy navy chief, and finally, in 2016, was appointed to lead the navy, succeeding Ram Rothberg.
After leaving the IDF in 2021, Sharvit transitioned to the private sector, initially leading the renewable energy division at Tadiran. He later became president of a Rafael subsidiary specializing in maritime defense systems. He was also previously considered a candidate for CEO of Rafael but told Calcalist that he declined the offer to focus on a renewable energy venture in the private sector.
Sharvit has previously participated in protests against the government's judicial overhaul at Tel Aviv's Kaplan Street but has not called for reservists to refuse service.
Throughout his tenure as commander of the Israeli Navy, Sharvit expressed professional support for the purchase of missile ships and submarines from Germany and the Thyssenkrupp shipyard. His statements—while in uniform—arguably weakened claims of criticism and corruption surrounding Netanyahu’s push to procure the vessels from the German conglomerate.
In one of his interviews, Sharvit conveyed the message that no one dictates to the IDF which naval vessels to purchase. "We really like this shipyard; it produces fantastic vessels. We have been buying submarines from them for decades. I am not aware of any situation where something is forced on the IDF. If we don’t want it, we don’t take it," he said. "We wanted this, we defined its specifications, we refined it to our exact needs—this is what we wanted."
While Israel’s submarine inquiry committee issued warning letters—including to Sharvit’s predecessor—stating that national security risks had been created, Sharvit dismissed claims that the navy was pressured into unnecessary purchases. "The portrayal of these vessels, both submarines and ships, as something imposed on us and unneeded is simply not true. These are vessels we selected and worked on for years."
Sharvit also supported the maritime border agreement with Lebanon signed by then-Prime Minister Yair Lapid. The deal delineated the maritime boundary between the two countries and allowed Lebanon to explore a specific gas field—where no discoveries were ultimately made. At the time, Sharvit stated that Israel had "an interest in Lebanon having a gas rig" and said the agreement aligned with Israel’s strategic interests.
Another decision Sharvit made as navy chief was relocating naval observers from frontline positions in two areas. He moved the female surveillance operators monitoring Gaza from the Erez outpost—attacked on October 7—to the Israeli Navy base in Ashdod. Similarly, he transferred operators stationed in Rosh Hanikra, near the Lebanese border, to Haifa.
Operational philosophy: Doesn't believe in passivity
In his 2021 interview, Sharvit described his strategic outlook, saying, "I don’t believe in a passive approach. When it comes to Iran, economic sanctions complicate their financial system, and they look for creative ways to transfer funds to terror organizations. We need to prevent them from using the maritime domain for financial and weapons transfers."
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Vice Admiral Eli Sharvit Graduation Ceremony of the 116th Class Diver Course, Haifa Naval Base,
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
Reflecting on his experience, he emphasized the importance of deterrence. "Hassan Nasrallah is currently deeply deterred, but deterrence is fragile. If you don’t respond to certain actions, it erodes. You need to maintain it constantly," he said.
Sharvit traced this perspective back to the 2006 Second Lebanon War, when Hezbollah fired an anti-ship missile at the INS Hanit, killing four sailors. "That event was a major turning point for me. It fundamentally changed my outlook. It showed that to project strength at sea, you don’t necessarily have to sail. Hezbollah had no navy, yet they nearly sank a missile boat and effectively imposed a maritime blockade on northern Israel."
Supreme Court to review Shin Bet dismissal next week
The Supreme Court is set to hold a hearing on Tuesday, April 8, regarding the government’s decision to dismiss current Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar. The move has sparked controversy, with Bar opposing his removal, citing potential conflicts of interest related to the agency’s investigation into the so-called "Qatar-Gate" affair.
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The panel reviewing the petitions against Bar’s dismissal will be composed of the court’s three most senior justices: Supreme Court President Isaac Amit, whom Justice Minister Yariv Levin and other ministers refuse to recognize as legitimate; Deputy President Noam Sohlberg, a conservative jurist; and Justice Dafna Barak-Erez, one of the court’s more liberal members.
Last week, the Supreme Court rejected Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara’s request to prevent Netanyahu from interviewing candidates for the position. Shortly after the ruling, Netanyahu began summoning candidates for interviews.