Netanyahu appoints new Shin Bet chief despite legal challenge

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has selected former Navy commander Eli Sharvit as the next head of the Shin Bet, his office said Monday, despite the Supreme Court freezing the dismissal of the agency’s current director.

It remains unclear when and how Sharvit will officially assume the role, as the court has yet to issue a ruling on the dismissal of Ronen Bar, the current Shin Bet chief.

On March 21, Netanyahu decided to remove Bar, citing a "persistent loss of professional and personal trust between the prime minister and the service director" that prevents "the government and the prime minister from effectively exercising their powers." An official statement at the time said Bar would step down no later than April 10.

However, following petitions from the Israeli opposition and an NGO, the Supreme Court suspended Bar’s dismissal, pending a review of the appeals by April 8.

"After conducting extensive interviews with seven qualified candidates, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to appoint former Navy commander, reserve Adm. Eli Sharvit, as the next director of the Shin Bet," Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

"Adm. Sharvit served for 36 years in the Israel Defense Forces, including five years as Navy commander. In this role, he led the development of the maritime defense force (…) and managed complex operational systems against Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran," it added.

Legal challenge

The Supreme Court’s review of the appeals against Bar’s dismissal and Netanyahu’s selection of a new Shin Bet chief "are proceeding in parallel," said an expert in administrative and constitutional law who requested anonymity.

"The question of the legality of Bar’s dismissal must be examined by the Supreme Court, which could annul the government’s decision," the expert said.

The announcement of a new Shin Bet chief could be "an attempt to influence the court," the expert added.

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who also serves as the government’s legal adviser, had warned Netanyahu that the Supreme Court’s decision "temporarily" barred him from appointing a new Shin Bet director.

However, Netanyahu has insisted that it is up to his government to determine who will lead the internal security agency. Some members of his government have already stated they would not comply with a Supreme Court ruling invalidating Bar’s dismissal.

The decision to fire Bar has sparked widespread protests in Israel, with critics accusing Netanyahu of an authoritarian shift. His government is considered one of the most right-wing in Israel’s history.

"The dismissal of the Shin Bet chief is an illegal decision," said the Movement for Quality Government, one of the parties that appealed to the Supreme Court. The NGO had previously led opposition to Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul plan, which triggered mass protests across the country in early 2023.