Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has reversed his decision to appoint Vice Adm. (res.) Eli Sharvit as the next head of the Shin Bet, just one day after announcing the move. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) released a statement saying that Netanyahu met with Sharvit last night to inform him that he would not be taking the helm of the Shin Bet security service after all. “The Prime Minister thanked Vice Adm. Sharvit for his readiness to serve,” the PMO said, “but told him that upon further consideration, he plans to interview additional candidates.” Netanyahu’s initial announcement of Sharvit as his pick to succeed Ronen Bar at the top of the agency had raised eyebrows in political circles. The choice of the reserves vice admiral was seen as controversial due to his reported involvement in anti-government protests and the lingering questions about Bar’s exit amid a criminal investigation into the prime minister’s associates. The PM faced pushback from coalition partners to nix Sharvit’s nomination over his apparent role in the massive 2023 protests against the government’s judicial reform plans. Sharvit responded through the PMO, saying, “I was asked by the Prime Minister to take on the role of head of the Shin Bet and to continue serving Israel at this difficult time – and so I did,” reflecting his confidence in the Shin Bet’s capabilities and his own leadership potential. Adding to the controversy, Sharvit had publicly backed a 2022 maritime border deal with Lebanon that Netanyahu, then in the opposition, had opposed. Earlier this year, he also wrote an op-ed slamming former US President Donald Trump over his climate stance. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)