Opposition leaders: PM’s Shin Bet pick an ‘excellent commander,’ but must prove loyalty to state rather than PM

Opposition leaders respond to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s naming of Vice Adm. (res.) Eli Sharvit as the next Shin Bet chief, saying that while the former Navy chief was an excellent commander, he will need to prove he is loyal to the law and the state rather than to the premier.

Sharvit was named earlier this morning as Netanyahu’s pick to replace Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, whom the cabinet voted to formally dismiss earlier this month. Bar remains in his post, with a temporary injunction imposed on his dismissal by the High Court of Justice.

National Unity leader Benny Gantz says that Sharvit has “values and experience” but that he should not be appointed to head the Shin Bet until the High Court has ruled on Netanyahu’s firing of incumbent Bar.

“Sharvit is an excellent man and commander, with values ​​and experience. An independent man who has always been guided by the interests of Israel’s security, and I have no doubt that this will continue to be the case in the future,” Gantz says in a statement.

“However, 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 toward a dangerous constitutional crisis. The appointment of the head of the Shin Bet must be made only after a High Court decision,” Gantz says.

Yisrael Beytenu chair Avigdor Liberman tells the Kan public broadcaster that while Sharvit was an “excellent” commander, his appointment “raises many questions.”

“I know Sharvit, he was an excellent navy commander,” Liberman says. “[However] He has no intelligence background, he has no training in that, no relevant knowledge, so the considerations that led to his appointment raise many questions.”

The Democrats chief Yair Golan says Sharvit will need to prove he is loyal to the law and the state, rather than to Netanyahu.

“Sharvit is a worthy and decent man. His appointment as head of the Shin Bet will be subject to approval by the High Court of Justice,” Golan writes on X.

“However, his appointment by a prime minister who has launched an attack on the rule of law and democratic Israel poses a huge challenge to him,” Golan writes.

“This is not a normal time period, and this is not a normal appointment. Every Shin Bet 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,” Golan says.

“The public expects [the Shin Bet chief] to be fully independent, to continue investigating the Qatari money, including investigating the prime minister’s own involvement, and to stand firmly on the side of democracy, the law, and the truth,” Golan writes, referring to the ongoing Shin Bet probe of alleged ties between Netanyahu’s top aides and Qatar, which backs Hamas.

“It’s a difficult, almost impossible task, but it’s his duty. He will have to prove that his loyalty is solely to the law and the state, and not to whoever appointed him,” Golan concludes.

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, whom the government is also trying to fire, has warned that the ousting of Bar faces legal difficulties, in part due to the ongoing Shin Bet probe of alleged ties between the Prime Minister’s Office and Qatar.

Bar vowed to stay on as Shin Bet chief until the return of all hostages from Gaza and the formation of a state commission of inquiry into the Hamas onslaught, which the government opposes.

The court has scheduled an April 8 hearing on the petitions against his firing.