Approximately 48 hours before convening, the committee tasked with approving the appointment of the new head of the Shin Bet domestic security agency received an anonymous letter accusing the candidate of “inappropriate behavior.”
The letter and the accusations against R. - who currently serves as the deputy chief of the Shin Bet and who was set to become its head following the committee's approval - both warrant an in-depth examination.
The goal of the Advisory Committee on Senior Civil Service Appointments, headed by retired Judge Eliezer Goldberg, is "to ensure the purity of morals in senior appointments, and to examine whether any defects were found in the proposed appointments.”
And while the committee will have to decide by Friday on how best to deal with the newly revealed information, the appointment itself will most likely be delayed due to the imminent investigation of the accusations detailed in the letter
In response to the letter, R. said those behind it are seeking "to torpedo" his appointment.
“The letter lacks a factual basis, is full of lies and intends to harm the current appointment. As necessary, evidence of this will be presented to the Executive Committee,” R.’s response added.
The committee for its part said it "will consider any necessary matter when making its decision.”
In the past, senior officials withdrew their candidacy from senior positions after they were linked to problematic accusations received by the committee.
One such case was that of retired Police Major-General Moshe Edri, who ran for the post of police chief three years ago, and who was eventually denied the position due to certain information the committee was sent by a third party.
As for R. - Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced last month that he had chosen R. to replace Nadav Argaman, whose term will end on October 13.
The deputy head is currently in the process of being briefed on his responsibilities as the organization's chief, and was set to take over as the head of the Shin Bet in one week.
During his time in the agency, he held a number of management and command positions in the Shin Bet’s Operations Division, until he was appointed head of the division in 2011.
His career also included a short stint in the Mossad, after which he received another promotion that made him the third most influential man in the domestic security agency.
He was made the deputy head of the organization in 2018.