The figures for the coalition and the opposition issued responses mixed on Monday to the denomination by the vice-admiral by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (res.) Eli Sharvit as the next chief of Shin Bet, with supporters praising the character and the criticisms of Sharvit who click both his policy and the moment of the announcement.
Sharvit was used to replace the current leader of the security agency, Ronen Bar, whom the cabinet voted to reject earlier this month, Netanyahu citing a lack of confidence. Bar was not officially relieved of his post, with a temporary injunction imposed on his dismissal by the High Court of Justice. While the court froze the dismissal of the bar, it allowed Netanyahu to interview candidates to replace it.
After the announcement, the Hebrew media quickly recalled that Sharvit had, in 2023, as a civilian, had participated in demonstrations of such Aviv against the flagship judicial overhaul of the government which triggered months of mass demonstrations due to concerns, it would dangerously erode the democratic nature of Israel. Sharvit also gave an interview in which he praised a territorial agreement in 2022 with Lebanon with the previous government, that Netanyahu – then the opposition leader – had opposed.
The chief of national unity, Benny Gantz, said that Sharvit had “values and experience” but that he should not be appointed to direct the bet of Tibia until the high court ruled on the dismissal of Netanyahu.
“Sharvit is an excellent man and commander, with values and experience. An independent man who has always been guided by the interests of the security of Israel, and I have no doubt that this will continue to be the case in the future,” said Gantz, who was head of the Israeli defense forces when Sharivt was chief of staff.
“However, what is clear is that the Prime Minister decided this morning to continue his campaign against the judicial system and to direct the State of Israel towards a dangerous constitutional crisis. The appointment of a chief of Tibia should only be made after a decision of the high court,” said Gantz.
The leader of the National Party of Unity, MK Benny Gantz, runs a faction meeting at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on March 24, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)
The MK Gadi Eisenkot national unit praised the appointment, calling Sharvit “a leader and a commander with a professional and ethical spine that has excelled in all his roles in the FDI”.
Eisenkot, who took command of Gantz Tsahal and was his leader when Sharvit led the navy, said years of knowledge with Sharvit led him to believe that “he will make the organization according to his mission and will be faithful to the country”.
Avigdor Liberman, president of the opposition party Yisrael Beyté, told Kan public broadcaster that even if Sharvit was an “excellent” commander, his appointment “raises many questions”.
Ronen Bar, head of the Shin Bet security services, attended a ceremony on May 5, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg / Flash90)
“I know Sharvit, he was an excellent commander of the navy,” said Liberman, a former defense minister who held the role when Sharvit commanded the navy. “(However) he has no context of intelligence, he has no training in that, no relevant knowledge, therefore the considerations that have led to his appointment raise many questions.”
The chief of democrats, Yair Golan, said that Sharvit will have to prove that he is faithful to the law and the country, rather than Netanyahu himself.
“Sharvit is a dignified and decent man. His appointment as head of the Shin will be subject to the approval of the High Court of Justice,” wrote Golan on X.
“However, his appointment by a Prime Minister who launched an attack on the rule of law and Israel Democrat poses him a huge challenge,” wrote Golan.
The leader of the Democratic Party, Yair Golan, speaks to the media outside the Knesset, on March 24, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg / Flash90)
“It is not a normal period, and it is not a normal appointment. Each tibia chief faces pressure, but they have never been required to face a Prime Minister who is determined to dismantle the institutions of democracy to escape the threat of justice,” said Golan, referring to the legal overhaul; the dismissal of the bar and a similar decision to reject the Attorney General; A tibia probe of alleged ties between the best aids of Netanyahu and Qatar, which supports the terrorist group of Hamas; and the Prime Minister’s current trial.
Yesh Atid MK Yoav Segalovitz, a former deputy minister of public security, announced to X that the debate does not concern the character of Sharvit, “but rather the fact that Netanyahu, a week before the hearing of the High Court (on a bar), up to the Qatargate case, appoints a replacement for the chief of Shin Bet – even before the case.”
“This crosses a line of disobedience to the decisions of the High Court on the part of Netanyahu,” he wrote.
There were also criticisms of the selection of Sharvit of the members of the coalition, in particular the Minister of Heritage Amichai Eliyahu from the far right party of Otzma Yehudit.
He said that the central difficulty with Bar was not his personality but his vision of the world, shared by those who protested against the judicial overhaul – including Sharvit – “which considers democracy as a tool which should be interpreted and protected by using the” Guardians ” who know better than the people which is good for them. “
Replacing such a person “by another with a vision of the similar world does not solve the problem, he pursues it in another framework,” wrote Eliyahu on X.
MK Tally Gotliv speaks at a meeting of the Committee at the Knesset, in Jerusalem on March 11, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)
MK Tally Gotliv of the Netanyahu power party also spoke against the appointment in a position of X.
“M. Prime Minister, who whispers in your ear? What’s going on here? Are there not excellent right-wing and experienced people to direct the bet of Tibia? ”
In the hours which followed the announcement of the selection of Sharvit, in the midst of reports of his participation before the demonstrations, Kan said that Netanyahu said that in private discussions, he was not aware of the political activities of Sharvit. Understood reports have indicated that senior Likoud and coalition legislators have pressed the Prime Minister to select a different candidate to direct the Tibia bet.
