Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to appoint S., the current Deputy Head of the Shin Bet, as Acting Head until a permanent appointment is made. Meanwhile, Netanyahu continues to interview candidates for the position of Head of the Shin Bet, including candidates he has already met with. S. took up his role as Deputy about two months ago. He has advanced within the Shin Bet from an intelligence coordinator position and was the head of the Research Division in the organization.

According to the timeline set by the government for the end of Ronen Bar's tenure by April 10th, it will not be possible to appoint a permanent Head of the Shin Bet through the Grunis Committee in time. In the meantime, Netanyahu has already spoken with seven candidates for the role. Among the more well-known names are M., who currently serves as the Deputy Head of the Shin Bet, Yair Roli Shagi, who previously competed with Ronen Bar, Eyal Tzir Cohen, a former senior figure in both the Shin Bet and Mossad, and Shalom Ben Hanoch, who was previously the head of a division in the organization.

The two leading candidates are Yair Roli Shagi and Eyal Tzir Cohen. Netanyahu has also interviewed two additional candidates beyond Eli Sheravit, including Major General (res.) Sami Turgeman, who was appointed by Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir to reopen the military investigations into the events of October 7th.

As a reminder, Netanyahu met again with Major General Sharvit and informed him that his appointment as Head of the Shin Bet would be canceled, after thanking him for his willingness to be called to serve: "He intends to consider other candidates," said the Prime Minister's office. One of the reasons for canceling the appointment was Sharvit's participation in protests against the 2023 judicial reform and his support for the gas deal negotiated by Yair Lapid.

Source: Channel 14  PHOTO: Use according to Section 27 A