Israel PM drops security chief nominee under fire from Trump ally Today World News

On March 31, 2025, hours after Eli Sharvit’s appointment was announced, reports began surfacing that he had been among tens of thousands of Israelis who took to the streets in 2023 to oppose the Netanyahu Government’s attempts to reform the judiciary.
| Photo Credit: AP

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Tuesday (April 1, 2025) that he had reversed a decision to appoint former navy commander Vice Admiral Eli Sharvit as Security Agency Chief following criticism, including from a key U.S. senator.

Mr. Netanyahu had announced Mr. Sharvit’s appointment on Monday (March 31, 2025), pushing back against a Supreme Court decision to freeze his government’s move to dismiss incumbent director Ronen Bar.

It later emerged that the former Naval Chief had publicly opposed key policies of the Netanyahu Government and U.S. President Donald Trump.

“The Prime Minister thanked Vice Admiral Sharvit for his willingness to be called to duty but informed him that, after further consideration, he intends to examine other candidates,” Mr. Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

The abrupt about-turn by the Prime Minister on the key security appointment drew condemnation from the opposition. “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,” said opposition leader Yair Lapid.

“This is the holiest of holies, it’s a violation of state security,” he said on social media.

Former Defence Minister Benny Gantz echoed Mr. Lapid’s remarks. “Mr. Netanyahu proved again this morning: for him, political pressure outweighs the good of the state and its security,” he said in a post.

The Prime Minister announced Bar’s dismissal on March 21, citing an “ongoing lack of trust”, but the supreme court swiftly suspended the decision until April 8. The move to dismiss him has sparked daily mass protests in Jerusalem.

On Monday (March 31, 2025), hours after Mr. Sharvit’s appointment was announced, reports began surfacing that he had been among tens of thousands of Israelis who took to the streets in 2023 to oppose the Netanyahu Government’s attempts to reform the judiciary.

Israeli media reports also recalled that Sharvit, who served in the military for 36 years, five of them as head of the navy, had supported a 2022 agreement on the maritime border with Lebanon that Mr. Netanyahu had opposed.

‘Beyond problematic’

It was also revealed that the nominee had penned an opinion piece criticising the U.S. president’s policies on climate change, prompting staunch Trump ally Senator Lindsey Graham to criticise his appointment in a post on X.

“While it is undeniably true that America has no better friend than Israel, the appointment of Eli Sharvit to be the new leader of the Shin Bet is beyond problematic,” Mr. Graham wrote on Monday (March 31, 2025).

“There has never been a better supporter for the State of Israel than President Trump. The statements made by Eli Sharvit about President Trump and his polices will create unnecessary stress at a critical time. My advice to my Israeli friends is change course and do better vetting,” he said.

Mr. Sharvit’s criticism of the U.S. president was published by Israeli financial newspaper Calcalist on January 23 under the headline: “Not just a political mistake: Trump is pushing the earth to the abyss.”

Israeli opposition leaders have warned that if the top court overturns Bar’s dismissal, the country could face a constitutional crisis.

Legal experts told AFP on Monday (March 31, 2025) that Mr. Netanyahu had so far not violated any law in his moves to find a replacement for Bar.

But Mr. Gantz has said that no decision should be taken on the leadership of the Shin Bet until after the supreme court’s decision.

Mr. Bar’s relationship with the Netanyahu Government soured after he blamed the executive for Hamas’s October 2023 attack and following a Shin Bet probe into alleged covert payments from Qatar to a Netanyahu aide.

Mr. Netanyahu testified in the investigation on Monday (March 31, 2025), denouncing it as a “political witch hunt” aimed at “preventing the dismissal” of Bar.