The Former Reporter who's to become the Head of Israel's National Security Council
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed the identity of the new Head of the National Security Council. After many years of clandestine service with the ISA, Meir Ben-Shabbat has stepped into the limelight. Amir Rapaport's weekly column
Amir Rapaport
| 18/08/2017
Meir Ben-Shabbat (Photo Credit: Haim Buchris/GPO)
It happened 35 years ago. During the First Lebanon War, Prime Minister Menachem Begin wanted to convey a message of encouragement to seven families in the town of Dimona, whose sons had fallen in the war. Begin employed the services of a pleasant young man who in those days served as a reporter for a local newspaper in the southern town, and the latter published the Prime Minister's message in his newspaper. The reporter's name was Meir Ben-Shabbat.
Within the next few days, that former local reporter from Dimona will find himself at the position nearest the ear of the current Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. He will settle into the corner reserved for the Head of the National Security Council (NSC) in the "Aquarium" on the second floor of the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem. Ben-Shabbat's recent appointment has exposed him to the limelight, after many years of clandestine service with the ISA, during which he was known simply as "M".
In his last position, over the last three years, Ben-Shabbat served as Head of the ISA Southern Region, in charge, particularly, of the sector opposite the Gaza Strip. Last Sunday, Ben-Shabbat's name was revealed to the general public when Prime Minister Netanyahu opened the weekly session of the government by heaping praise on the new NSC Chief.
As soon as Ben-Shabbat's appointment was decided upon early last month, the Prime Minister said about him that "He is the right man at the right place." While collecting information for this column, I came across a clip from that local newspaper in Dimona. As it turned out, we had both worked for that newspaper together as aspiring young reporters during Ben-Shabbat's "journalistic period." Incidentally, the list of credits in that paper included another young reporter, who came to the southern region as a correspondent. Her name is Shelly Yachimovich.
The Arab Affairs Division
Meir Ben-Shabbat grew up as the 12th child of a religious family with 14 children. He studied at the local state-religious elementary school and subsequently at the Bnei-Akiva Yeshiva High School in Beersheba. During his military service, it was difficult to anticipate that the battalion adjutant (personnel officer) and subsequently deputy brigade adjutant of the IDF Givati Infantry Brigade would find himself at the top echelon of the ISA, and then advance to the position of NSC Chief. However, even back then his dedication and devotion to the positions he served in were evident. He was awarded several commendations and was even chosen as an outstanding soldier presented to the President.
Immediately following his discharge from military service, in January 1989, Ben-Shabbat joined the Israel Security Agency (ISA = SHABAK). He started out as a regular employee in the ISA's Southern Region, serving in various desk jobs in the Arab Sector. In 1992 he was commended by ISA Head Yaakov Peri for a personal intelligence achievement (before those commendations were awarded on a regular basis). During his service he rose steadily through the ranks, with no shortcuts, possibly because most of his appointments were staff positions rather than positions with the operational divisions or the units that specialize in the running of agents.
Ben-Shabbat was appointed as a department head in the Arab Affairs Division at ISA HQ, and subsequently promoted to Deputy Head of the ISA Southern Region, Chief of Staff and Head of the ISA Southern Region. He was appointed to his last position within the agency during the reign of Yoram Cohen as Head of the ISA. Ben-Shabbat had particularly good relations with Cohen's Deputy, Roni Alsheikh, who currently serves as the Commissioner of Israel Police. The announcement of the Prime Minister's Office regarding the appointment states that Ben-Shabbat has a bachelor's degree (cum laude) in political science from Bar-Ilan University, along with an extensive range of advanced training courses in the fields of intelligence and senior management. According to the announcement, Ben-Shabbat had acquired unique knowledge and expertise regarding the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, and took part in most of the operations staged against that movement over the last two decades.
Among other things, Ben-Shabbat conducted the ISA's activities during Operation Cast Lead. In addition to the above data, in his senior positions with the ISA, Ben-Shabbat had spent many hours with Netanyahu and senior ministers of the Israeli cabinet. Ben-Shabbat is married and has four children. He resides at a religious settlement in the central region. He still believes in the values of 'Torah ve'Avodah' (religious studies and labor), and even delivers a weekly lesson to members of his community every Saturday.
Strategic Talks with the USA
The position of Head of NSC has not been filled for one year and eight months, since the former head, Yossi Cohen, had been appointed as Head of the Mossad. For most of this period, a stand-in, Jacob Nagel, filled that position (Netanyahu's attempt to appoint Brig. Gen. [res.] Avriel Bar-Yosef to this position ended miserably). Formally, Ben-Shabbat has been appointed as the stand-in of the Head of NSC, but he will be named the permanent appointee later on.
His new position will introduce Ben-Shabbat to content worlds he has thus far been less familiar with, like the strategic talks with the USA and other allies, the Iranian nuclear threat, and economic and social issues regarded as "strategic". He will have to reconstruct the NSC, which has recently reached a particularly low point following a long period without an active head, against the background of the embarrassing Submarine Affair.
With Ben-Shabbat's transition to the NSC, all three senior ISA executives from the religious sector, who had served in the topmost positions within that organization, reached the end of their respective careers with the ISA. Yoram Cohen, who headed the organization, and Roni Alsheikh had both left before Ben-Shabbat. The current ISA Chief, Nadav Argaman, a Kibbutz member and a former officer of Sayeret Matkal (IDF GHQ elite reconnaissance unit), has recently parted, rather surprisingly, with the head of the ISA Jerusalem Region, "A". In the eyes of many – apparently not including Argaman – "A" had been regarded as a leading candidate for the most senior positions within the ISA.
With this move, Argaman has consolidated his own 'hive'. Those currently emerging as candidates in the long-term contest for the position of the next Head of the ISA are the current Deputy Head, "I", and the Head of the Operations Division, "R", who will probably be appointed as the next Deputy Head of the ISA under Argaman, after "I".
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed the identity of the new Head of the National Security Council. After many years of clandestine service with the ISA, Meir Ben-Shabbat has stepped into the limelight. Amir Rapaport's weekly column
Meir Ben-Shabbat (Photo Credit: Haim Buchris/GPO)
It happened 35 years ago. During the First Lebanon War, Prime Minister Menachem Begin wanted to convey a message of encouragement to seven families in the town of Dimona, whose sons had fallen in the war. Begin employed the services of a pleasant young man who in those days served as a reporter for a local newspaper in the southern town, and the latter published the Prime Minister's message in his newspaper. The reporter's name was Meir Ben-Shabbat.
Within the next few days, that former local reporter from Dimona will find himself at the position nearest the ear of the current Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. He will settle into the corner reserved for the Head of the National Security Council (NSC) in the "Aquarium" on the second floor of the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem. Ben-Shabbat's recent appointment has exposed him to the limelight, after many years of clandestine service with the ISA, during which he was known simply as "M".
In his last position, over the last three years, Ben-Shabbat served as Head of the ISA Southern Region, in charge, particularly, of the sector opposite the Gaza Strip. Last Sunday, Ben-Shabbat's name was revealed to the general public when Prime Minister Netanyahu opened the weekly session of the government by heaping praise on the new NSC Chief.
As soon as Ben-Shabbat's appointment was decided upon early last month, the Prime Minister said about him that "He is the right man at the right place." While collecting information for this column, I came across a clip from that local newspaper in Dimona. As it turned out, we had both worked for that newspaper together as aspiring young reporters during Ben-Shabbat's "journalistic period." Incidentally, the list of credits in that paper included another young reporter, who came to the southern region as a correspondent. Her name is Shelly Yachimovich.
The Arab Affairs Division
Meir Ben-Shabbat grew up as the 12th child of a religious family with 14 children. He studied at the local state-religious elementary school and subsequently at the Bnei-Akiva Yeshiva High School in Beersheba. During his military service, it was difficult to anticipate that the battalion adjutant (personnel officer) and subsequently deputy brigade adjutant of the IDF Givati Infantry Brigade would find himself at the top echelon of the ISA, and then advance to the position of NSC Chief. However, even back then his dedication and devotion to the positions he served in were evident. He was awarded several commendations and was even chosen as an outstanding soldier presented to the President.
Immediately following his discharge from military service, in January 1989, Ben-Shabbat joined the Israel Security Agency (ISA = SHABAK). He started out as a regular employee in the ISA's Southern Region, serving in various desk jobs in the Arab Sector. In 1992 he was commended by ISA Head Yaakov Peri for a personal intelligence achievement (before those commendations were awarded on a regular basis). During his service he rose steadily through the ranks, with no shortcuts, possibly because most of his appointments were staff positions rather than positions with the operational divisions or the units that specialize in the running of agents.
Ben-Shabbat was appointed as a department head in the Arab Affairs Division at ISA HQ, and subsequently promoted to Deputy Head of the ISA Southern Region, Chief of Staff and Head of the ISA Southern Region. He was appointed to his last position within the agency during the reign of Yoram Cohen as Head of the ISA. Ben-Shabbat had particularly good relations with Cohen's Deputy, Roni Alsheikh, who currently serves as the Commissioner of Israel Police. The announcement of the Prime Minister's Office regarding the appointment states that Ben-Shabbat has a bachelor's degree (cum laude) in political science from Bar-Ilan University, along with an extensive range of advanced training courses in the fields of intelligence and senior management. According to the announcement, Ben-Shabbat had acquired unique knowledge and expertise regarding the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, and took part in most of the operations staged against that movement over the last two decades.
Among other things, Ben-Shabbat conducted the ISA's activities during Operation Cast Lead. In addition to the above data, in his senior positions with the ISA, Ben-Shabbat had spent many hours with Netanyahu and senior ministers of the Israeli cabinet. Ben-Shabbat is married and has four children. He resides at a religious settlement in the central region. He still believes in the values of 'Torah ve'Avodah' (religious studies and labor), and even delivers a weekly lesson to members of his community every Saturday.
Strategic Talks with the USA
The position of Head of NSC has not been filled for one year and eight months, since the former head, Yossi Cohen, had been appointed as Head of the Mossad. For most of this period, a stand-in, Jacob Nagel, filled that position (Netanyahu's attempt to appoint Brig. Gen. [res.] Avriel Bar-Yosef to this position ended miserably). Formally, Ben-Shabbat has been appointed as the stand-in of the Head of NSC, but he will be named the permanent appointee later on.
His new position will introduce Ben-Shabbat to content worlds he has thus far been less familiar with, like the strategic talks with the USA and other allies, the Iranian nuclear threat, and economic and social issues regarded as "strategic". He will have to reconstruct the NSC, which has recently reached a particularly low point following a long period without an active head, against the background of the embarrassing Submarine Affair.
With Ben-Shabbat's transition to the NSC, all three senior ISA executives from the religious sector, who had served in the topmost positions within that organization, reached the end of their respective careers with the ISA. Yoram Cohen, who headed the organization, and Roni Alsheikh had both left before Ben-Shabbat. The current ISA Chief, Nadav Argaman, a Kibbutz member and a former officer of Sayeret Matkal (IDF GHQ elite reconnaissance unit), has recently parted, rather surprisingly, with the head of the ISA Jerusalem Region, "A". In the eyes of many – apparently not including Argaman – "A" had been regarded as a leading candidate for the most senior positions within the ISA.
With this move, Argaman has consolidated his own 'hive'. Those currently emerging as candidates in the long-term contest for the position of the next Head of the ISA are the current Deputy Head, "I", and the Head of the Operations Division, "R", who will probably be appointed as the next Deputy Head of the ISA under Argaman, after "I".
