Israel cabinet approves David Zini as new domestic intelligence chief

Bangla Press Desk: The full cabinet on Tuesday night unanimously approved the appointment of David Zini as Shin Bet chief despite controversies over the selection to head the security agency, with his five-year tenure set to begin on 5 October.

Shin Bet is Israel's internal intelligency service.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the appointment, stating that the reality after Hamas’s 7 October 2023, massacre “mandated a new Shin Bet head that comes from outside the ranks of the organization,” according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.

“The critical thinking that characterized Maj Gen Zini, in his various roles, his ability to think outside the box and adapt the system to a changing reality, alongside his extensive operational and command experience in force building and deployment, led to the conclusion that he is the most suitable person to lead the Shin Bet at this time,” the PMO said.

The candidacy of Zini, a former IDF general, was approved last week by the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee, which rejected the argument that Netanyahu was barred from proposing a candidate to head the Shin Bet while the agency was actively investigating his advisers over their allegedly illicit ties to Qatar.

Speaking at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting after returning from his White House visit, Netanyahu said that he has been “very impressed with him over the years and has known him for a long time.”

“I have seen his determination, his leadership, and his ability to think outside conventional frameworks, to see things before they develop,” he said. “I believe he is the right person to lead the Shin Bet — someone who knows the system, but is not part of it. I have no doubt that he will succeed greatly, and I am sure everyone supports this. His success is vital for the security of all Israeli citizens.”

President Isaac Herzog congratulated Zini after the vote, saying that he “brings with him decades of rich and varied experience as a warrior and commander in the defense of Israel and its citizens.”

“In these tense and threatened days, when even today innocent Israelis were brutally attacked in a terrorist act, it is important for all of us to remember how vital the Shin Bet’s… functioning is to protecting Israeli society, its security, and its values,” Herzog said in a statement.

Zini is a controversial figure with self-described “messianic” views. He has also reportedly said during private discussions with former senior security officials that “the judicial system is a dictatorship that rules the State of Israel.”

According to some reports, several officials in the Shin Bet have threatened to resign if Zini takes over the agency.

A legal position paper filed Tuesday with the government by the Attorney General’s Office asserted that as Shin Bet chief, Zini must consult the agency’s legal adviser before dealing with any issues connected to the personal or political concerns of Netanyahu.

Deputy Attorney General Orli Fishman, who authored the legal opinion, included the stipulation in the position paper due to the finding of the advisory committee, which approved Zini’s appointment, that Netanyahu had made requests of former Shin Bet chiefs “that are not appropriate in a democratic regime.”

Fishman wrote that although there were legal difficulties with Zini’s appointment connected to the so-called Qatargate investigations, there were no legal obstacles to his taking office as head of the Shin Bet.

The Democrats alliance chairman, Yair Golan, pledged Tuesday that if voted into power, he will oust Zini as Shin Bet chief, drawing criticism from former prime minister Naftali Bennett.

After tweeting that the country’s next government will replace every appointee who “deviates from the democratic path,” Golan confirmed to Army Radio that this includes Zini.

Golan said Zini’s candidacy was “tainted by extraneous considerations” and that “the only quality that makes him the one chosen for the position by the prime minister is the belief that he will grant him exemption from investigations in the Qatar affair.”