”The government has unanimously approved the appointment of Major General David Zini as the highest chief of Shin Bet for a five-year period”, announced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week.
When Israel's Prime Minister in mid-March said that he would fire the former chief Ronen Bar, a turbulent time followed. The Supreme Court ruled that the dismissal was illegal and Bar accused Netanyahu of demanding personal loyalty and obedience.
Loud discontent
But Netanyahu got what he wanted and in May he nominated - despite a ban from the prosecutor - Zini as the new name for the top post in Shin Bet, the country's internal security service.
The nomination caused new, loud discontent because relatives of the Israeli hostages who are still in captivity in Gaza are worried about the retired general's attitude towards how this issue should be handled. Zini is said to have opposed negotiating releases because Gaza, according to him, is an "eternal war", reports Israeli media.
Believes Gaza belongs to Israel
As a supporter of the religiously colored part of the Zionist movement, critics have also accused him of having a "messianic" worldview - a concept he himself embraced in a speech in June. The concept is closely linked to settlers who believe that both the occupied West Bank and Gaza belong to Israel.
Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Shin Bet "after October 7 is in need of a chief who comes from outside the organization", which alludes to the intelligence service's failure to detect Hamas' planning of the extensive terror attack that was carried out then.
Zini will take up his post on October 5.
