Meir Ben-Shabbat

Meir Ben-Shabbat
מאיר בן שבת‎
National Security Advisor (Israel)
In office 15 August 2017 – 15 August 2021
Prime Minister	Benjamin Netanyahu
Preceded by	Eytan Ben-David
Succeeded by	Eyal Hulata
Personal details
Born	1966 Dimona, Israel

Meir Ben-Shabbat (Hebrew: מאיר בן שבת; born 1966) was Israel's National Security Adviser and Chief of Staff for National Security. He was former head of the Southern Region in the General Security Service. In July 2021, Ben Shabbat announced that he would step down from the National Security Adviser post by late August.^[1]

Early life

Ben-Shabbat was born to Aziza and Makhlouf Ben-Shabbat, religious Jews who immigrated from Safi, Morocco. He is the 12th out of 14 children. He grew up in Dimona and studied at a state religious school and later at the Bnei Akiva Yeshiva Ohel Shlomo in Beer Sheva. He wrote for a local Dimona newspaper and a number of publications in southern Israel.^[2] Upon his enlistment in the IDF, he was assigned to the Givati Brigade. As part of his service he received several medals including the Presidential Medal of Excellence.

He holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Bar-Ilan University.

In 1989 upon completing his army duty, he joined the Shabak and served in various capacities and command positions. His duties included dealing with Hamas in the Gaza Strip during Operation Cast Lead. During his service he served as head of the cyber security department and worked on the prevention of terrorism.

National Security Advisor

In 2017, he began serving as National Security Adviser and Deputy Chief of Staff for National Security in the Prime Minister's Office.^[3]

As part of his role, he was involved in Israel's fight against COVID-19.^[4]

Abraham Accords

Meir Ben-Shabbat joins delegation as part of Abraham Accords.

Ben-Shabbat played a role in establishing ties with Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Bahrain as part of the US brokered Abraham Accords.^[5] In October 2020, he joined US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and other Israeli and American officials on the first official business delegation to the UAE.^[6] He led the Israeli delegation to Bahrain.^[7]

References

1. "National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat announces he’s stepping down." The Times of Israel, June 30, 2021.
2. "The Former Reporter who's to become the Head of Israel's National Security Council | Israel Defense". www.israeldefense.co.il. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
3. Gross, Judah Ari. "PM appoints new national security adviser: Meir Ben-Shabbat". Times of Israel. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
4. "i24NEWS". www.i24news.tv. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
5. "PM Netanyahu Directs NSC Head Meir Ben-Shabbat to Lead a Professional Israeli Delegation to the UAE Next Week". GOV.IL. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
6. "1st UAE flight and delegation to Israel herald a new age". ISRAEL21c. 2020-10-21. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
7. "Remarks by National Security Council Head Meir Ben-Shabbat". GOV.IL. Retrieved 2020-10-23.