Under fire from the right wing of his coalition government and Trump supporters in the United States, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has withdrawn his nomination for head of the nation’s internal security force, the Shin Bet.
Netanyahu had on March 31 nominated former Navy commander Vice Adm. Eli Sharvit to head the domestic intelligence agency, after he fired chief Ronen Bar—an action being challenged in the courts.
Graham, in his post on X, included an excerpt of Sharvit’s op-ed slamming Trump’s energy policies as “not just misguided but dangerous.”
“Trump’s shortsightedness,” the op-ed continues, “sends a shocking message of disregard for scientific reality, human well-being, and responsibility toward future generations. This approach is essentially a political version of ‘eat and drink, for tomorrow we die’—an attempt to evade global consequences by prioritizing the immediate interests of polluting fuel industries.”
“There has never been a better supporter for the State of Israel than President Trump,” Graham posted. “My advice to my Israeli friends is change course and do better vetting.”
Sharvit also supported a 2022 territorial water agreement with Lebanon that Netanyahu, then-opposition leader, opposed.
Bar remains in his post while the Supreme Court of Israel, which issued a temporary injunction in the matter, considers his firing’s legality. Bar has been part of the team negotiating the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. The court permitted Netanyahu to interview candidates for Bar’s replacement.
The withdrawal comes as Netanyahu and his cabinet are facing public scrutiny over Bar’s firing, which they approved. The issue has broadened into what is being referred to as Qatargate, with Netanyahu being called in to testify about a Shin Bet investigation into allegations that Qatar paid two Netanyahu aides to improve its public image in Israel.
The two, Jonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein, were arrested on March 31 just as the attorney general ordered police to summon Netanyahu for questioning in the case. Netanyahu left the Tel Aviv District Court that morning to testify in his senior staffers’ cases.
Israeli Judge Menachem Mizrahi lifted a gag order at the request of Urich’s attorney, in an effort to expose what the attorney called “absurd allegations” against his client.
The company also wanted Feldstein to disseminate negative messaging about Egypt’s role in the hostage negotiations. Qatar, Egypt, and the United States are the three nations that have mediated the process between Tel Aviv and Hamas.
Mizrahi’s summary indicates that Urich mediated between The Third Circle and Feldstein. Third Circle owner Jay Footlik paid Feldstein through Gulf-based Israeli businessman Gil Birger.
In March, a public broadcaster aired a recording purportedly of Birger saying he had indeed transferred money from Footlik to Feldstein while the latter was working as Netanyahu’s spokesman.
Urich is accused of spreading pro-Qatar messages while framing the information as coming from senior officials in Netanyahu’s office.
Urich and another Netanyahu adviser, Yisrael Einhorn, were reported in 2024 to have been involved in a campaign to improve Qatar’s image surrounding its hosting of the 2022 World Cup.
After Urich and Feldstein’s arrests on March 31, Netanyahu issued a video statement accusing the police of holding his two aides “hostage.”
The probe further widened on March 31 as police questioned Jerusalem Post editor-in-chief Zvika Klein for suspected contact with a foreign agent.
Israeli television reported that Feldstein arranged for Klein to visit Qatar in April 2024. He has published an account of his three-day trip, in which he met with the Qatari prime minister and other officials.
