The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a conference on anti-Semitism in Jerusalem on March 27, 2025. (Credit: Menahem Kahana/AFP.)
Benjamin Netanyahu advocated on Friday for a rapid change at the head of the Shin Bet after defying the judiciary and a significant portion of public opinion the day before by announcing that he had selected a candidate to lead this Israeli domestic intelligence agency.
"It is imperative to appoint a permanent head of the Shin Bet as soon as possible," the Israeli Prime Minister said in a statement. Netanyahu announced Thursday evening that he had chosen Major General David Zini to lead the Shin Bet (Internal Security Agency).
The State's Attorney General and Legal Adviser to the Government, Gali Baharav-Miara, had prohibited him the day before from appointing a replacement for the resigning director Ronen Bar, arguing that he was in a "conflict of interest" situation. The cause: a Shin Bet investigation instigated by Bar targeting close associates of Netanyahu suspected of receiving bribes from Qatar.
Bar's dismissal announced on March 21 by Netanyahu's government was immediately suspended by the Supreme Court. After a judicial battle, Bar ultimately decided to step down in late April and announced he would leave his position on June 15.
But the Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the government's decision to dismiss him was "irregular and contrary to the law." Nonetheless, Netanyahu increased his pressure by asserting on Friday that appointing a new Shin Bet director was "a top-tier security necessity."
"Security threat"
"Any delay harms the state's security and that of our soldiers," he affirms as Israel intensifies its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, after more than 19 months of war. Netanyahu was keen to specify that once at the helm of the Shin Bet, General Zini would "in no way" be involved in the agency's investigation concerning the so-called "Qatargate" affair.
The nomination of General Zini will only be effective after the approval of his candidacy by a commission for the evaluation of senior officials and a government vote. Provided that the Supreme Court does not block the process. An NGO already announced Thursday evening its intention to challenge it before the High Court, and other appeals are expected to follow. A sign of tensions between Netanyahu and the army chief of staff, Lieutenant-General Eyal Zamir, the latter "thanked" General Zini via a statement for his "significant service" in the army, adding that he would retire from the uniform in the coming days.
The text adds that "any discussion between an active soldier and a member of the political echelon must necessarily pass through the consent of the chief of staff!"
"Retirement"
The tone employed prompted media comments on the "dismissal" of a general whom some already saw as the future army chief. "General Zini was not relieved of his duties [but] his [military] retirement was arranged following his appointment as head of the Shin Bet," the army felt the need to clarify. Netanyahu credits General Zini with having drafted, in March 2023, six months before the Hamas attack that triggered the war, a report exposing the army's weaknesses in case of a "surprise incursion" in Israel from the Gaza Strip.
Born in 1974 and having passed through the elite Sayeret Matkal unit, General Zini, founder of the commando brigade (a conglomerate of special forces units), is the son and grandson of French rabbis, and the father of 11 children.