After interviewing seven qualified candidates, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu selected former Navy Commander Retired Major General Eli Sharvit as the next head of the Shin Bet. Sharvit served in the IDF for 36 years, including five as Navy Commander. During his tenure, he oversaw the development of Israel’s maritime defense forces in the country’s economic waters and managed complex operations against Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran.
On March 5, 2023, Ynet reporter Yossi Yehoshua tweeted that “Retired Navy Commander Maj. Gen. Eli Sharvit joined a demonstration on Kaplan Street yesterday, marching alongside fellow captains and a retired Brigadier General who had just completed a shift at headquarters. The protest expressed concern for the country’s future, without calls for disobedience or refusal to serve.”
On December 30, 2022, a day after the Netanyahu government was sworn in, Sharvit signed a letter alongside 622 other Navy personnel, warning that Israeli democracy was at risk. Addressed to then-Supreme Court President Esther Hayut, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, and Knesset Legal Advisor Sagit Afik, the letter described the judicial system as “the last line of defense” against legislative changes that, in their view, could undermine democracy. It urged the recipients to use all legal means to halt what they saw as a collapse of the democratic regime. The letter was sent before Justice Minister Yariv Levin officially launched the judicial reform initiative.
Three days after President Trump’s inauguration in January, Sharvit published an op-ed in the financial daily Calcalist, under the headline, “Not just a political error: Trump is pushing the Earth into the abyss.” It opened: “It is astonishing that at a time when climate change is wreaking havoc, the incoming US administration under President Donald Trump has chosen to revert to polluting energy sources and retreat from green energy investments. This is not just a troubling decision but a profoundly damaging message to the world: as natural disasters starkly illustrate the consequences of ignoring the climate crisis, the response from those in power appears to be an acceleration of the destruction.”
All of the above directly challenges critics on the left who argued that Netanyahu would appoint a new Shin Bet chief based on loyalty, following the dismissal of Ronen Bar.
At the same time, during his tenure as Navy Commander, Sharvit defended the purchase of new ThyssenKrupp submarines and missile ships. In a 2020 interview with News 13, he was asked about criticism from former Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, who argued the acquisitions were excessive and opposed by IDF leadership. Sharvit responded, “These ships are simply excellent and exactly suited to the operational purpose, and these submarines are the best of their kind.”
Sharvit’s appointment comes despite pending High Court petitions against the dismissal of current Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, which are set to be heard on April 8. While the court temporarily froze Bar’s removal, it permitted Netanyahu to interview potential successors. Still, Netanyahu’s decision to announce Sharvit’s appointment before the petitions are heard contradicts the stance of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who sought to block the selection process until after the court’s ruling.
