Benjamin Netanyahu.
Benjamin Netanyahu.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel backed away from his nominee for the head of Israel’s domestic intelligence service on Tuesday after conservative allies attacked him for criticising President Trump and Israeli media reported that he had protested judicial overhauls pushed by Netanyahu’s government.
Netanyahu had backed Eli Sharvit, a former commander of Israel’s navy, to lead the Shin Bet intelligence agency after he dismissed his predecessor, Ronen Bar, a decision that prompted protests. But the Israeli leader dropped Sharvit a day after the Monday announcement after a backlash from the right, partly because he had written a column two months ago criticising Trump for rolling back policies to fight climate change.
Netanyahu’s office said that he had met with Sharvit to inform him that he would pursue other candidates for the job, without specifying a reason. As the country’s domestic security agency, the Shin Bet, plays a key role in the war in Gaza and Israel’s decades-long occupation of the West Bank.
Netanyahu removed Bar from the post last month, saying he could no longer trust him. Critics called the move an attempt by Netanyahu to purge dissenting views from the top ranks of Israel’s security establishment and the decision prompted protests.
Under Bar’s direction, the Shin Bet has been involved in investigating some of Netanyahu’s aides’ ties with Qatar, including over accusations that they received payments from people connected to the Qatari government. Israel’s Supreme Court is scheduled to hear petitions against Bar’s removal by next week, and Israeli legal experts say it may reverse Netanyahu’s decision.
Netanyahu’s left-wing and centrist opponents had feared that he would try to tighten his grip over the agency by appointing a close adviser. But many hailed Sharvit, who retired from the military in 2021, as an experienced and capable soldier.
There was a fierce and immediate right-wing response, however.
In 2023, Sharvit participated in demonstrations against Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul, according to Yediot Aharonot, a major Israeli newspaper.
New York Times News Service