National Security Council head Meir Ben-Shabbat notified Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Wednesday night that he intends to end his term after four years in office.
Earlier this month he had agreed to remain in his position until further notice to ensure functional continuity and an easier transition for the new government. Ben-Shabbat said that he is planning to vacate his position by the end of August.
Bennett thanked Ben-Shabbat for his service as the head of the council, noting his contribution to Israel’s national security.
“I would like to commend Meir Ben-Shabbat for his many years of contributing to Israel’s security in a professional and successful manner,” Bennett wrote in a statement on Twitter.
“Even in the coronavirus crisis, Meir worked day and night for the health of the citizens of Israel, and functioned in a way worthy of appreciation,” Bennett said. “I am confident that he will make another great contribution to the State of Israel in the future as well.”
Defense Minister Benny Gantz also thanked Ben-Shabbat, saying on Twitter that, “On my behalf and on behalf of the defense establishment, I would like to thank Meir Ben-Shabbat for his service in strengthening the external and internal security of the State of Israel.”
Former prime minister and current opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, under whom Ben-Shabbat served, tweeted his thanks to him, saying that, “Together with all the citizens of Israel, I sincerely thank the Chairman of the National Security Council, Meir Ben-Shabbat, for his outstanding service for Israel’s security.”
Of the apparently short-listed names, former deputy chief of staff Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Yair Naveh, 63, was the highest-ranking religious Zionist in the IDF. He was the head of the IDF’s Home Front Command and Central Command, before serving as deputy chief of staff in 2010-2014. He has since worked in the private sector.
Naveh is thought to have right-wing positions, and opposed the 2005 Gaza disengagement, but is unpopular with some on the Right, because he oversaw the evacuations of settlements in northern Samaria and the violent demolition of the Amona outpost.
He published an alternative to a two-state solution in recent years, in which Israel would not build outside major construction blocs in the West Bank and greater Jerusalem, and only after 30 years of stability would talks for a permanent settlement begin, based on a confederation with Jordan or Israel.
Maj.-Gen.(ret.)Amos Yadlin, 69, was a general in the Israel Air Force, an IDF military attaché to the US and the head of Israel’s Military Intelligence Directorate in 2006-2010. He has been the director of Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies since 2011.
Unlike Bennett, Yadlin has advocated an Israeli withdrawal from 85% of Judea and Samaria, which could be unilateral if peace talks with the Palestinians continue to fail.
Yadlin was Labor’s candidate for defense minister in 2015, when the party was known as Zionist Union.
A source close to Bennett said that Yadlin has briefed the prime minister and his former party, Bayit Yehudi, for many years, especially on matters related to Iran, and that the briefings were “top-notch” even if Bennett drew different conclusions from Yadlin.
“There is no one more experienced,” the source said. “Just go with the best guy for the job, is the Bennett school of thought.”
The source also said Yadlin is well-connected in Washington and can help Bennett maintain a good relationship with the Biden administration.
At the same time, the source admitted that “the optics are bad” on a political level. Bennett’s right-wing voters may be unhappy with an ideologically different national security adviser, and Naveh may be a better choice in that way.
Another possibility Bennett is considering is to ask former national security adviser Yaakov Amidror to return to the position he held in 2011-2013, but he is concerned about hiring someone who may be a Netanyahu loyalist.
Amidror, 73, is a staunch opponent of the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. Last year, he expressed concern about Israel extending its sovereignty to parts of the West Bank, saying it will not benefit Israel. He suggested that Israel should only annex the Jordan Valley.
Lahav Harkov contributed to this report.