Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Credit: Reuters File Photo
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu withdrew his nomination of an ex-admiral as director of the Shin Bet security service, 24 hours after it was announced.
Netanyahu’s office on Tuesday said he had informed Eli Sharvit that, “after further thought,” he will consider other candidates to replace Ronen Bar, whose firing last month is due to take effect pending a court review.
Netanyahu did not explain his change of plan.
Some members of his religious-rightist coalition had voiced misgivings about Sharvit’s nomination on Monday. They cited reports of Sharvit appearing at a 2023 demonstration against government plans to overhaul the judiciary.
The Shin Bet is Israel’s equivalent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the US or the UK’s MI5. Mossad is Israel’s external-intelligence agency.
Netanyahu’s decision to oust Bar sparked widespread criticism within Israel, with critics saying he and his coalition were trying to sideline officials with dissenting views, especially related to the war against Hamas in Gaza.
Separately, in a sign of growing tension within Netanyahu’s multi-party coalition, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich temporarily resigned. It’s considered a procedural step and Smotrich has requested his reappointment by Netanyahu once his parliamentary status is restored, according to Israeli media.
Still, the move is a protest against National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s request for more ministerial positions when he returned to the government last month, Reuters reported, citing a spokesperson for Smotrich’s party. Smotrich’s decision should enable him to reclaim his status as a member of the Knesset and, in doing so, push out a member of Ben-Gvir’s party.