Netanyahu bows to pressure; new Shin Bet chief dismissed early

According to Al Jazeera, the statement said that Netanyahu thanked Sharvit in a message for his readiness to head the Shin Bet and told him that he wanted to consider other options for the position.

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office announced on Monday that after extensive interviews with seven qualified candidates, Netanyahu decided to appoint former Navy Commander Eli Sharvit as the new Shin Bet chief.

The announcement led to criticism from Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a key ally of US President Donald Trump, who cited comments from Sharvit lambasting Trump for abandoning efforts to fight climate change and promoting fossil fuels and branded his nomination “beyond problematic”.

“The statements made by Eli Sharvit about President Trump and his policies will create unnecessary stress at a critical time,” Graham said. “My advice to my Israeli friends is [to] change course and do better vetting.”

The naming of Sharvit also provoked anger in some members of Israel’s governing coalition, reflecting media reports recalling that the former navy commander had joined protests in 2023 against Netanyahu’s attempts to reform the judiciary and that he had supported a 2022 water agreement with Lebanon that the prime minister opposed.

Israeli Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu criticised the appointment on X, saying nominating Sharvit as a replacement for Bar, who was officially fired over the failure to stop Hamas’s October 2023 attack while investigating associates of the prime minister on suspicion of corruption, “does not solve the problem, but only perpetuates it in a different framework”.

The Israeli Channel 12 television reported that Netanyahu was aware of Sharivit's past protest activities. This angered some members of the Likud party and increased internal pressure on the Israeli Prime Minister to reverse the decision.

Hebrew media also reported that Sara Netanyahu had pressured his wife, Benjamin Netanyahu, to reverse his decision to appoint Sharivit as Shin Bet chief.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid slammed Netanyahu for bowing to the criticism.

“The head of the Shin Bet is not just another appointment. It’s not a job that you announce and regret after 24 hours because of a few screams. This is the holiest of holies, it’s a violation of state security,” he said on X.