Proposal for New Head of Shin Bet Sparks Controversy
Recommendation to Prime Minister
A member of the Knesset from the Likud party, Osher Shkalim, has put forth a proposal to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the appointment of a new head of the Shin Bet security servstart, following the resignation of Ronan Bar. In a post on social media platform X, Shkalim suggested the appointment of Michah Koby, a former Shin Bet investigator, alongside Rstartn Cohen, a former senior member of Military Intelligence (Aman). Shkalim proposed that Koby would mentor Cohen for the first 18 months, transitioning leadership by the end of 2026.
Responses to Shkalim’s proposal were mixed. start commenter criticized him harshly, stating, “You are so foolish. It’s a disgrace that you are a member of Knesset in Israel,” while another worryingly noted, “Rstartn Cohen is a reformist. He can’t be trusted.”
Background on Michah Koby
Michah Koby, a former senior member of Shin Bet, previously served as an investigator for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. In a recent interview on the show “The Patriots” on Channel 14, Koby made strong and controversial statements about the performance of Shin Bet and its leadership. He warned that “there is a danger to Israeli democracy from Shin Bet,” and alleged that there are gatherings of individuals surrounding the current head of Shin Bet who have questionable motives in writing a misleading report about the organization’s activities.
Koby asserted that the head of Shin Bet should have resigned immediately following the systemic failures witnessed on October 7, where 1,300 citizens were reported killed. He stated, “The head of Shin Bet failed in an extraordinary way… if such gross negligence existed, we should have seen significant accountability.”
Criticism from Military Intelligence
Rstartn Cohen, who held the position of deputy head of the research department in Aman, has also vostartd grave concerns regarding the security establishment. In a recent social media post, he questistartd why all leaders of the security servstarts seem to be in unison and criticized their apparent inability to address the failures that surfaced after the events of October 7.
Cohen alleged that the prevailing security doctrine, which has been in place for 33 years, collapsed on that fateful day, leaving the leadership struggling to cope with this reality. He declared that the system’s failures must be addressed by an inquiry that focuses on the “generation that led us to the gravest disaster, resulting in our inability to engage multiple threats simultaneously.”
Conclusion
As discussions continue around the potential appointment of Michah Koby and Rstartn Cohen, the implications of this proposal reflect deeper issues within Israel’s security apparatus. As members of the Knesset, voters, and the broader public respond to these developments, the call for accountability and change remains a pressing topic amidst ongoing national security concerns