PM to appoint US-born Ari Harow as chief of staff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set appoint a former aide, Los Angeles-born Ari Harow, to replace outgoing chief of staff Gil Shefer, according to sources familiar with the deliberations in the PMO.

He is also considering appointing former minister and Shin Bet chief Avi Dichter to replace outgoing National Security Council head Yaakov Amidror.

Harow’s appointment would mark a promotion from his last job, when he was bureau chief for Netanyahu under former chief of staff Natan Eshel. He would now hold Eshel’s former job.

Harow’s likely return to the Aquarium — the word describes the glass-walled inner office in the PMO occupied by Netanyahu and his closest aides — highlights Netanyahu’s continued reliance on American-born immigrants among his closest advisers. Harow was born in Los Angeles in 1973 and immigrated to Israel with his family at the age of 12.

According to sources, Harow is looking to add to the chief-of-staff position the policy advisory role formerly held by Ron Dermer, Netanyahu’s former diplomatic adviser, whom the PMO announced Tuesday will be Israel’s next ambassador to the US. Harow has advised Netanyahu on foreign policy issues in the past.

Dichter’s expected appointment — he is the leading candidate among many names put forward for the position — is no surprise to insiders. Netanyahu is said to respect Dichter’s professionalism and analytical ability. After serving as public security minister and an MK, Dichter left the Kadima party in August 2012 to serve in the Netanyahu-led government as home front security minister.

If he gets the job, Dichter will oversee a National Security Council that served as a key policy-planning resource for the prime minister — another sign of Netanyahu’s penchant for American-style governance.