Israel PM Netanyahu picks new security chief, defying legal challenge
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Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that it is up to his government to decide who heads the domestic security agency.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu picked former navy commander Eli Sharvit to head the domestic security agency, his office said on March 31, despite the Supreme Court freezing the incumbent’s dismissal.
It remains unclear how and when Mr Sharvit can officially take charge as the court’s ruling on the removal of the current Shin Bet chief, Mr Ronen Bar, is still pending.
Mr Netanyahu moved to oust Mr Bar
But after petitions filed by Israel’s opposition and a non-governmental organisation, the Supreme Court suspended the dismissal of Mr Bar,
Legal experts and an Israeli opposition leader warned that if the top court overturns Mr Bar’s dismissal, the country could face a constitutional crisis due to a clash between the judiciary and the executive.
“After conducting in-depth interviews with seven worthy candidates, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to appoint a former Israel navy commander, Vice-Admiral Eli Sharvit, as the next director of the ISA (Shin Bet),” his office said in a statement.
Mr Netanyahu’s office said Mr Sharvit had served in the military for 36 years, including five as navy commander.
“In that position, he led the force building of the maritime defence of the territorial waters and conducted complex operations against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran,” the statement said.
In its initial ruling, the Supreme Court said the freeze would remain in place until the appeals are presented before April 8.
“Things are proceeding in parallel as the Supreme Court allowed him to interview candidates for the post while legal proceedings are still on in the court,” a legal expert on the issue told AFP on condition of anonymity.
“The question of how legal is the dismissal (of Mr Bar) is still pending in the Supreme Court and it could still be cancelled by the court.”
The expert said Mr Netanyahu, by choosing the next Shin Bet chief, was “establishing facts on the ground”.
“It might be an attempt to influence the court.”
Opposition leader and former defence minister Benny Gantz praised Mr Sharvit but cautioned that the country could be on the brink of a constitutional crisis.
“What is clear is that the Prime Minister decided this morning to continue his campaign against the judicial system and lead the state of Israel towards a dangerous constitutional crisis,” Mr Gantz said in a statement.
He emphasised that “the appointment of the head of the Shin Bet must take place only after the Supreme Court’s ruling”.
Dr Ronit Levine-Schnur, a constitutional law expert at Tel Aviv University, said that while Mr Netanyahu and his government had “not violated” any laws so far, their timing and overall approach to the judiciary were highly precarious.
“We need to respect the law, that’s the bottom line... They are playing with fire,” she told AFP.
Protests, criticism
Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara had said immediately after the March 21 ruling that Mr Netanyahu was “prohibited” from appointing a new Shin Bet chief.
Ms Baharav-Miara even said she suspects Mr Netanyahu of having a conflict of interest.
But Mr Netanyahu insisted it is up to his government to decide who heads the domestic security agency.
Mr Bar’s relationship with the Netanyahu government soured after he blamed the government for the October 2023 Hamas attack
Ms Baharav-Miara was also previously critical of the government’s plans to overhaul the judiciary, which she said threatened to make Israel a “democracy in name but not in spirit”.
The proposed changes sparked months of mass protests across Israel, deeply dividing society, but the government suspended them following the start of the Gaza war sparked by Hamas’ attack.
They have since been revived, however.
Thousands of Israelis protested two weeks ago to decry Mr Bar’s dismissal,
They have also protested against the Israeli Parliament’s decision to pass a law expanding the power of politicians over the appointment of judges
