Khaberni - The Israeli government, on Tuesday evening, approved the appointment of Reserve General David Zini as the head of the Shin Bet (General Security Service) by consensus at a session held immediately after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's return from Washington.
Netanyahu said at the beginning of the meeting regarding Zini’s appointment: "I have been very impressed by him over the years, and I have known him for many years; through his various positions in the army, and in positions he held closely with the 'Shin Bet'."
He added: "I saw in him determination, leadership, and the ability to think outside the conventional frameworks, and to see things before they materialize. I believe that he is the right man to lead the Shin Bet; a person who knows the system, even if he was not inside it."
Netanyahu continued: "I have no doubt that he will achieve great success, and I am confident that everyone supports that. This success is important for the security of all citizens of Israel."
The Israeli government presidency announced that Zini will take over his role as head of the Shin Bet on October 5th, 2025, and will hold the position for a period of 5 years.
On the other hand, "The Movement for Quality Government" and "The Academic Movement for a Democratic Israel" announced that they had petitioned the Supreme Court against the appointment.
The government presidency reported that Zini held a series of operational and leadership positions in the Israeli army, among them: a fighter in the "General Staff Corps" (Sayeret Matkal), commander of the 51st Battalion in "Golani" Brigade, commander of "Egoz Unit", "Alexandroni Brigade" commander, operations officer of the "Central Command", founder of the "Commando Brigade", commander of the "National Center for Ground Training", the "Training and Qualification Command", and the "General Staff Corps", and founder of the "Hasmonean Brigade".
Netanyahu blessed the appointment, considering that "the reality after October 7th necessitates a new Shin Bet head coming from outside the ranks of the agency."
He pointed out that "the critical thinking characterized by Zini in his various positions, and his ability to think outside the box and adapt the system to a changing reality, along with his extensive operational experience in building strength and activating it, led to the conclusion that he is the most suitable person to lead the Shin Bet at this stage."
For its part, "The Movement for Quality Government" emphasized that "it is inappropriate to accept a procedure carried out with complete disregard for the rule of law and integrity of standards."
The movement added that "this appointment is fundamentally flawed, whether because of the behavior of the appointer, the Prime Minister, or because of the heavy question marks hovering over the candidate."
It continued that "the Advisory Committee for Senior Appointments, which was supposed to scrutinize the appointment thoroughly, failed to fulfill its role and ignored serious testimonials from former Shin Bet heads."
The movement said that "those heads testified that the prime minister had asked them in the past to carry out 'inappropriate actions in a democratic system'."
