Ministers approve new national security adviser

The cabinet on Sunday approved the appointment of Meir Ben-Shabbat as the new national security adviser, a position technically vacant since 2015.

Ben-Shabbat, a former senior official in the Shin Bet security service, assumed the position in August, pending his approval.

At the weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu hailed Ben-Shabbat for his “sharpness of mind, his rich experience, the clarity in which he presents matters… he doesn’t whitewash, he states his opinion in the clearest manner, bluntly.”

Yossi Cohen, who currently leads the Mossad intelligence agency, served as national security adviser from 2013 to 2015. When he left, the position was left empty.

Yaakov Nagel served as acting national security adviser from 2015 until March of this year, leaving the position for personal reasons. He was replaced on an interim basis by Eitan Ben-David.

Ben-Shabbat had served in the Shin Bet since January 1989. His focus was Hamas and the Gaza Strip, directing much of the service’s activities against the terrorist group over the past 20 years. His position as head of the service’s southern district was comparable to that of a military general.

Ben-Shabbat personally led the Shin Bet’s efforts in Gaza during the 2008-2009 Operation Cast Lead campaign, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

The 51-year-old father of four also led the security service’s Cyber Directorate and its National Directorate for Thwarting Terror and Espionage.