Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has begun meeting with four potential replacements for Ronen Bar as the head of the ISA. The need for a replcement is so far conditional on the Supreme Court upholding the government decision to dismiss Bar.
The first candidate is the Deputy Head of the ISA appointed by Netanyahu to lead the Israeli negotiation delegation during a series of trips abroad. He replaced Bar in the negotiation team for the hostage deal in Qatar.
He was supposed to end his term just before the start of the war, but at the request of the head of the ISA and the Prime Minister, he extended his term until the beginning of the year. He reportedly has field experience is both himself a religious Zionist and from a religious Zionist background.
The second candidate is Shalom Ben Hanan who served as the head of the Department for Israeli and Foreign Affairs and head of the Training Division in the ISA. He spent 27 years in the ISA as a field coordinator, regional coordinator, head of a branch, department, division, and the operations and training departments.
In television appearances over the past year, he warned that Hamas exploits the disputes within Israeli society, "We cannot ignore the fact that this helps our enemies and gives them a supportive wind. Yahya Sinwar sits and enjoys watching Israel.crumble from within."
Another candidate is Eyal Cohen, who served as the head of a division in the Mossad and was a member of the negotiation team with Hamas at the beginning of the war. He speaks six languages and is a senior researcher at the National Institute for Security Studies (INSS).
In a column for Channel 12, he wrote, "Hamas has penetrated the consciousness of Israeli society and successfully struck a chord with our emotional strings. The public in Israel has surrendered to the rhythm of the hostages' release, and in my estimation, is unable to imagine a reality where the process stops. It is difficult to win a war or be firm at the negotiating table when the other side understands that you will buy a deal under any circumstances or at any cost."
"It feels like lately the public discourse in Israel is focused on only one thing. There is no curiosity in the discourse that thinks ahead, analyzes implications, and illuminates threats around the corner, nor is there an alternative position. So what is there? There is rich television coverage with descriptions and emotion, like a long and addictive reality show that keeps us engaged only in the today and now. It is impossible to dive into current events without encountering a biting comment about the Prime Minister, the murderousness of Hamas, and closed-circuit broadcasting of the pain of families who have lost their loved ones, the need to bring everyone back 'today and now'. Let’s not be mistaken, these are important things, in the world's high stakes, but they are not the only things that should be addressed."
The fourth candidate is Yair Sagi, originally considered as an opponent to Ronen Bar to replace Nadav Argaman at the head of the ISA. He has held senior positions in the service, including Deputy Head of the ISA and Head of the Operations Division, one of the leaders of Operation Protective Edge, and pushed for the destruction of offensive tunnels. He is considered an expert in the field of Arab terrorism, with deep knowledge of Hamas and the Gaza arena.