The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that he had reversed the decision to appoint a former naval commander as the head of the security agency after criticism, including a former American senator.
Netanyahu on Monday elected Eli Sharvit to lead Shin Bet Internal Security Agency, pushed behind the Supreme Court’s decision to dismiss the inconsistent director Ronen Bar to address his government’s move.
It was later revealed that Sharavit had publicly opposed the major policies of the Netanyahu government and US President Donald Trump, an important supporter of the Israeli leader.
Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on Tuesday, “The Prime Minister thanked Vice Admiral Sharvit for the desire to call on duty, but informed them that after further ideas, he intends to examine other candidates.”
Suddenly condemned the opposition by the Prime Minister on the major security appointment.
Opposition leader Yire Lapid said, “The head of Shin Bet is not just another appointment. This is not a task you declare and regret after 24 hours due to some screams.”
He said on social media, “It is the most sacred of Holi, it is a violation of the security of the state.”
Former Defense Minister Beni Gantz said that Netanyahu again “proved” that “for him, political pressure carries forward the state and its safety well”.
The Prime Minister announced the dismissal of the bar on March 21, cited the “ongoing reduction of the trust”, but the Supreme Court rapidly suspended the verdict by 8 April.
The move to dismiss him has given rise to daily mass protests in Jerusalem.
On Monday, hours after the announcement of the appointment of Sharavit, reports stated that he was one of the thousands of Israelis who took the streets on the streets in 2023 to oppose the Netanyahu government’s efforts to improve the judiciary.
Israeli media reports also recalled that Sharavit – who served in the army for 36 years, as the head of the Navy – supported the 2022 agreement on the maritime border with Lebanon, which was opposed by Netanyahu.
Constitutional crisis fears
It was also discovered that Sharvit had given a piece of opinion criticizing the policies of the US President on climate change, inspiring the hardcore trump colleague, Senator Lindsay Graham, to criticize his nomination in a post on X.
Graham wrote on Monday, “Eli Sharvit’s appointment is the new leader of Shin Bet.”
“The state of Israel has never been a better supporter for the state of Israel. The statements made by Eli Sharavit about President Trump and his polis will create unnecessary stress at a significant time. My Israeli friends have my advice change course and a better veterinarian.”
Criticism of the US President’s Sharvit was published on 23 January by the Israeli financial newspaper Calclist: “Not only a political mistake: Trump is pushing Prithvi on the abyss.”
Legal experts on Monday told AFP that Netanyahu had not yet violated any law in his steps to find the replacement of the bar.
But Gantz has said that after the final decision of the Supreme Court, no decision should be taken on the leadership of Shin Bet Agency to prevent a constitutional crisis.
Bar relations with the Netanyahu government blamed the executive for failures, due to Hamas’s October 2023 attack, and some Netanyahu colleagues from Qatar after a shin bet in the alleged secret payment.
The Israeli police on Monday announced the arrest of two Netanyahu colleagues, Yonon Urich and Elli Feldstein, describing the local media for their alleged involvement in the case.
Netanyahu testified in the investigation, later condemned it as a “political witch hunting” on Monday, aimed at the bar “dismissal”.
The Israeli court on Tuesday extended the custody of two suspects for an additional three days till Thursday.
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