The nomination drew the ire of US Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of President Donald Trump and a long-time supporter of Israel.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Tuesday that he has withdrawn his nomination of Israeli Navy Vice Admiral (res.) Eli Sharvit to serve as the next director of the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet).

The announcement comes just one day after the Prime Minister’s Office announced that Netanyahu had selected Sharvit to replace outgoing Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar.

Last month, Netanyahu dismissed Bar with the approval of his cabinet.

The Supreme Court, however, has frozen the implementation of the firing until a hearing is held in the matter next Tuesday.

Bar, who faced criticism over his agency’s failure to prevent the October 7 invasion by Hamas, also drew the ire of Netanyahu and other government ministers after he allegedly approved an investigation of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir (Otzma Yehudit), amid suspicions he worked to promote the ideology of Rabbi Meir Kahane in the police department.

According to Netanyahu, Bar had been instructed not to proceed with the probe unless proof was furnished of wrongdoing by Ben-Gvir.

Sharvit’s appointment on Monday stunned Shin Bet insiders, while also drawing sharp criticism from members of Netanyahu’s coalition, who noted that Sharvit had in the past participated in protests critical of the government and its judicial reform plan.

Furthermore, the nomination drew the ire of US Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of President Donald Trump and a long-time supporter of Israel.

Noting that Sharvit had, in his capacity as the chairman of an alternative energy company, penned an opinion piece earlier this year ripping Trump’s climate policies, Graham took the rare step of publicly criticizing an internal Israeli matter.

“While it is undeniably true that America has no better friend than Israel, the appointment of Eli Sharvit to be the new leader of the Shin Bet is beyond problematic,” Graham wrote.

“There has never been a better supporter for the State of Israel than President Trump. Eli Sharvit’s statements about President Trump and his policies will create unnecessary stress at a critical time. My advice to my Israeli friends is to change course and do better vetting,” wrote on X.

Following the criticism from Graham and his own government, Netanyahu met with on Sharvit Monday night to inform him of his plans to withdraw the nomination.

“The Prime Minister thanked Vice Adm. Sharvit for his willingness to serve,” the Prime Minister’s Office announced, “but informed him that after further thought, he intends to interview other candidates.”

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Graham: “Eli Sharvit’s statements about President Trump and his policies will create unnecessary stress at a critical time.”

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) strongly criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s appointee to head the Shin Bet internal security agency.

Graham, who has consistently supported Israel, noted former Navy Chief Eli Sharvit’s statements criticizing Trump’s stance on the environment and climate change. “While it is undeniably true that America has no better friend than Israel, the appointment of Eli Sharvit to be the new leader of the Shin Bet is beyond problematic,” Graham wrote on X.

He added, “There has never been a better supporter for the State of Israel than President Trump. Eli Sharvit’s statements about President Trump and his policies will create unnecessary stress at a critical time.

“My advice to my Israeli friends is to change course and do better vetting.”

Netanyahu announced on Monday morning that he had chosen Major General Sharvit as the new head of the Shin Bet. The selection was unexpected because he was not among the three candidates frequently mentioned in the media.

The choice is seen as unusual also because the Shin Bet does not currently employ Sharvit, who never served in the agency.

In his criticism, Graham was alluding to an op-ed Sharvit wrote that was published by Calcalist on January 23. Sharvit, then head of the green energy company QD-SOL, criticized Trump’s environmental and climate policies.

“President Trump opted to abandon the crucial goal of achieving zero emissions by 2050 and instead focused on promoting polluting fuels, driven by a short-term conservative agenda aimed at maximizing immediate profits,” Sharvit wrote.

“The consequences of his harmful policies are still being felt,” he added.

“We live in an era where the public demands greater accountability from governments and corporations. Trump’s decision to disregard these demands sends a message to the world that the United States is stepping back from its global leadership role,” Sharvit continued. “Under the previous Trump administration, American leadership on climate and the environment faltered, and now it is our responsibility to ensure it doesn’t fail again.”

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Surprise pick for Shin Bet chief once served as the Commander of the Navy, never worked at the intelligence agency.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his selection of Major General Eli Sharvit as the new head of the Shin Bet intelligence agency on Monday morning.

Sharvit, a surprise pick, was not on the short list of three possible candidates widely reported by Hebrew-language media.

The selection of Sharvit is also unusual because he is not current employed by the Shin Bet, nor did he ever serve in the agency.

A married father of three, Sharvit grew up in the southern city of Beersheba.

Sharvit served as the commander of the Navy between 2016 and 2021, leading “the creation of the maritime defense force in the economic waters” and managing “complex operational systems against Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

After retiring from the military after 36 years, Sharvit became the president of a private company in Israel’s defense sector.

Notably, one of Netanyahu’s major political rivals praised his choice.

Opposition MK Gadi Eizenkot, who was once the IDF’s Chief of Staff, said that Sharvit was “a leader and commander with a professional and ethical backbone, who has excelled in all his positions in the IDF.”

He added that “from many years of acquaintance [with Sharvit], I am confident that he will advance the organization according to its mission and will be loyal to the State of Israel.”

In a 2021 interview with Ynet, Sharvit warned that Iran may use unorthodox maritime solutions to evade economic sanctions.

“The Iranian issue becomes complex when the Iranian economic system is under sanctions, and then Iran tries every creative way to transfer money to finance terrorist organizations,” he told the Hebrew-language outlet at the time.

“We need to worry about how to prevent them from using the maritime medium both as an economic route and for transferring weapons,” Sharvit added.

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