The government on Monday approved the appointment of “R.” as the new head of Shin Bet and his name was revealed as Ronen Bar.

Bar’s nomination was approved despite a last-minute glitch of an anonymous letter against him claiming he was involved in two incidents of misconduct. Members of the Advisory Committee for the Appointment of Senior Officials in the Civil Service (known as the Goldberg Committee) said that after speaking to Bar they were satisfied that he did not act improperly and approved his nomination. The appointment will go into effect on Thursday.

Bar, 55, married and a father of three, holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and philosophy from Tel Aviv University, and a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University.

הותר לפרסום: רונן בר- ראש השב"כ הבא pic.twitter.com/RJniynDWAm

— איתי בלומנטל 🇮🇱 Itay Blumental (@ItayBlumental) October 11, 2021

He performed his IDF service as a combat soldier in the elite Sayeret Matkal special forces unit and was recruited as a Shin Bet field agent in the Operations Unit following his army service.

In his many years of service for Israel’s security, he commanded and participated in many operations in the Gaza Strip, Yehudah and Shomron, and Lebanon.

In 2011, he was appointed as head of the Shin Bet’s Operations Division, and in 2016, he was appointed as the head of the Shin Bet’s resource development headquarters. In 2018 he was appointed deputy head of the service, a position he held for the past two and a half years.

Ronen Bar, 55, is the new head of the Shin Bet pic.twitter.com/oLmVpu9uaI

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) October 11, 2021

Over the years, a number of security awards have been rewarded to operations and units commanded by Bar.

As he left for his new position on Monday morning, Bar spoke to reporters outside his home. “We’ll wait for the government to approve dropping ‘R.’ and reverting back to my full name. I thank the prime minister for his trust in me.”

הממשלה החליטה: ראש השב"כ החדש – רונן בר.
עם יציאתו הבוקר לעבודה הוא אמר מחוץ לביתו: "בואו נחכה שהממשלה תאשר לי להוריד את הר' – ולחזור לשם המלא שלי. אני מודה לראש הממשלה על האמון והגיבוי, ורק מחכה להתחיל לעבוד עם העובדים המצוינים שלנו"@ItayBlumental pic.twitter.com/ToSXrCBtGs

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) October 11, 2021

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)