Ex-Mossad and Shin Bet Agent Joins Gadi Eisenkot's Party
Devora Shifrian-Bachar, a former operational agent for the Mossad and Shin Bet, has joined the 'Yash' party led by former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot. Shifrian-Bachar, 44, who began her security career as a combatant in the Shin Bet's 'Tequila' unit, brings extensive experience from her 22 years in Israel's security apparatus.
Born in Iran in 1982, she immigrated to Israel with her family at age seven. After leaving security services, she moved to Kibbutz Eilot near Eilat with her partner, Dr. Maor Bachar, fulfilling his dream of serving as a pediatrician in the periphery. Shifrian-Bachar established an excellence program in high school focusing on Persian language, intelligence, and geopolitics, which won an award from the head of Military Intelligence.
Shifrian-Bachar believes the current situation in Iran is a result of complex factors, including the 'With a Lion's Roar' operation in the winter of 2026, which she argues fundamentally altered Iran's societal and mental landscape. She also connects this to protests and economic hardship within Iran, citing anecdotal evidence of public discontent and the regime's reliance on a hardline base.
She advocates for making Arabic a mandatory subject from first grade in Israeli schools, alongside Hebrew and English, to foster better understanding and communication within the region. Shifrian-Bachar aims to enter the Knesset to focus on education reform, aiming to make teaching a more desirable profession and address the significant number of vacant management positions in schools.
Reflecting on her personal journey, Shifrian-Bachar described overcoming a fundamentalist and patriarchal upbringing in Iran, with a supportive high school principal playing a crucial role in her decision to join the IDF and pursue higher education. She also discussed the challenges her parents faced adapting to life in Israel and their eventual acceptance of her choices.
