Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday the nomination of a former Navy commander, Vice Admiral Eli Sharvit, to head the country’s domestic security agency, Shin Bet. This move comes despite a Supreme Court-imposed halt on Netanyahu’s previous attempt to fire Shin Bet’s former chief, Ronen Bar.

The nomination was made following in-depth interviews with seven candidates, according to Netanyahu’s office. Sharvit, who served in the military for 36 years, is credited with leading successful operations against Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran and has extensive experience in maritime defense.

Netanyahu and certain far-right members of his government have continued their push to remove Bar from his position. The prime minister claimed he lost trust in Bar after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,139 individuals and the abduction of about 250. However, critics argue that the decision to fire Bar was politically motivated, as Shin Bet was investigating potential corruption among Netanyahu’s close advisers. Bar himself has maintained that the government, not Shin Bet, was responsible for the security failure on October 7.

Following petitions from Israel’s opposition and various nongovernmental organizations, the Supreme Court temporarily blocked Bar’s dismissal, pending further appeals. The court will hear the case on April 8 but allowed the process to find a new agency chief to continue.

Benny Gantz, the leader of the National Unity Party, and Yair Golan, the leader of Democrats, criticized Netanyahu’s announcement. Gantz accused Netanyahu of destabilizing the country and creating a dangerous constitutional crisis. Golan condemned the move as an attack on the rule of law, highlighting the risk it poses to democratic institutions in Israel.

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/31/netanyahu-nominates-new-israeli-spy-chief-despite-court-order?traffic_source=rss