by Yoav Limor
His main test, however, will be the courage he displays behind closed doors, specifically when meeting with the prime minister.
The offices of the Shin Bet's deputy and director are about 30 feet apart, maybe less. Ronen Bar has crossed that hallway perhaps thousands of times over the past two years. When he does it again on Wednesday, it will be very different.
It's not just the exposure, after years of serving in the shadows, that will be different, but also the level of responsibility. The moment he starts his new job on Wednesday, following a ceremony at the Prime Minister's Office, all the weight will shift to his shoulders. For better or worse, he alone will be in charge. Although he will be supported by thousands of Shin Bet agents – comprising a tremendous human, operational, intelligence and technological machine – all eyes will be on him.
Bar possesses all the skills required to handle the task at hand. He knows the Shin Bet intimately and is well-versed in the agency's objectives. His familiarity with the broader defense establishment is also deep and intimate: He was lent twice to the Mossad and worked closely with the organization in various operational capacities; and also worked with the IDF – which openly welcomed his appointment.
The challenges the Shin Bet will face under Bar's command are established. Essentially, as always, it will have to prevent terrorist attacks and activity across the various sectors. Judea and Samaria, of course, where the Shin Bet has a clear upper hand, as evidenced by the string of foiled attacks in recent months; and Gaza as well, where the Shin Bet plays an important and dual role in preparing for the next war and also facilitating possible understandings with Hamas.
His position on a possible prisoner exchange deal with Hamas will also be critical. The prime minister will have a hard time publicly overruling a Shin Bet chief warning against the potential price of releasing murderers from prison. Yuval Diskin, who opposed the Schalit deal, made it easier for then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to reject it; while Yoram Cohen, who supported the deal, made it easier for then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to greenlight it.
At some point during Bar's tenure, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is also expected to resign. The Shin Bet will have a central role in identifying the underlying processes and marking potential successors – and mainly in preventing radicalization and escalation, and thwarting expected efforts by Hamas to exploit the changes to seize control of the West Bank.
Bar will also have to play a bigger role in the fight against crime in the Arab sector. Nadav Argaman, his predecessor, opposed this, but Bar's approach is more proactive and expansive. Its implementation will depend on the government's decisions and complex legal approvals, but it's reasonable to expect the Shin Bet's northern district – which is also responsible for most of the Arab sector – will now receive a significant upgrade in resources, technology and manpower.
Bar will also have to contend with other processes, some of them structural-organizational and others of a more personal nature. The first of these he already tackled on Monday, when he decided to appoint "M" as his deputy. "M" currently serves as the head of the Shin Bet's Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria division and is considered an excellent handler of agents and informants. This appointment gave Bar a double victory: He quelled the criticism from within the agency that operations officers only promote from within the operations division to key positions in the organization, and also positioned a professional "Arabist" alongside him who will bolster his weak spot.
At some point, he will also have to appoint a new head of Shin Bet headquarters, the number three post in the agency, along with a new commander of the Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria division. Soon Bar will also have to determine how public he wants the agency and himself to be; whether the Shin Bet will be an "Unseen Shield" as its official motto states, or rather more visible and audible in the present era.
His main test, however, will be the courage he displays behind closed doors, specifically when meeting with the prime minister. The relationship between the two is vital for the agency to function, but also crucial for democracy: The prime minister is the Shin Bet chief's commander, but the Shin Bet chief must also be independent and able to voice his views honestly, professionally and without fear, even if it comes with a price. Bar will have to design his own DNA and bear in mind that ultimately he works for the public, not the government. If he meets these challenges (and there's no reason he can't) he has every reason under the sun to succeed in his new job.
Yoav Limor
Source: https://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/incoming-shin-bet-chief-faces-numerous-challenges/
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