Nadav Argaman (; born 11 August 1960) was director of
Shin Bet from 8 May 2016 to 13 October 2021. He previously served as deputy head of Shin Bet, Operations Division chief, and the Shin Bet representative in the
United States. He was appointed by Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu on 11 February 2016 and assumed office in May 2016.
Biography
Argaman was born to Amiram and Tikva in
Ramat HaSharon, and was raised, from the age of two, in
kibbutz
A kibbutz ( he, קִבּוּץ / , lit. "gathering, clustering"; plural: kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1909, was Degania. Today, farming h ...
Hamadia. As he joined the Army in 1978 he volunteered to serve in the IDF's Special Forces unit
Sayeret Matkal, and served as a fighter and Platoon leader.
In 1983 he joined the Shin Bet and served in various command and staff posts. Between 2003–2007 he served as head of the Shin Bet Operations Division and between 2007–2011 served as head of the Shin Bet security of North America. Then between 2011–2014 he served as deputy head of Shin Bet. Among other things, in November 2012 at the beginning of
Operation Pillar of Defense he commanded the operation that assassinated the
Hamas military wing commander,
Ahmed Jabari.
In September 2014 he was loaned to the
Israel Atomic Energy Commission The Israel Atomic Energy Commission (IAEC) ( he, הוועדה לאנרגיה אטומית) is the governmental authority responsible for the State of Israel's activities in the nuclear field.
History
The establishment of the Israel Atomic Energy Co ...
. In September 2015 he returned to the Shin Bet and was appointed deputy head of the organization. In February 2016
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to appoint him to be the next Shin Bet chief, and on 8 May 2016 he assumed office, replacing his predecessor
Yoram Cohen.
Immediately upon assuming position as chief, he presented a five-point work plan, including increasing the Shin Bet's capabilities in the areas of technology and cyber. In mid 2017, Argaman stated that the Shin Bet's cyber activity contributed to identifying and locating over 2,000 potential terrorists since 2016. In 2019 it was reported that approximately one third of the organization's manpower are technological people.
During the
riots on the Temple Mount in 2017, Argaman supported the decision to remove the metal detectors that were placed in the entrances to the Temple Mount. After the terrorist attack in the Israeli Embassy in Jordan, Argaman was sent to Jordan to discuss the release of the security guard who was assaulted.
Argaman earned a BA and MA in
political science from
Haifa University, and an additional master's degree in
security
Security is protection from, or resilience against, potential harm (or other unwanted coercive change) caused by others, by restraining the freedom of others to act. Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security may be of persons and social ...
and
strategy
Strategy (from Greek στρατηγία ''stratēgia'', "art of troop leader; office of general, command, generalship") is a general plan to achieve one or more long-term or overall goals under conditions of uncertainty. In the sense of the "art ...
from the National Security Studies Center at the Haifa University. Argaman is also a graduate of the Israeli
National Security College.
Argaman was succeeded by
Ronen Bar on 13 October 2021.
Personal life
Argaman was married to Ruth, the mother of his three children, and they are divorced. In 2020, he remarried to Anat, whom he met during their joint work in the Shin Bet.
They live in
Rosh HaAyin.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Argaman, Nadav
Directors of the Shin Bet
1960 births
Living people
Israeli Jews
University of Haifa alumni