AG okays appointment of Shin Bet deputy head as acting spymaster

The Attorney General’s Office approves Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s appointment of Deputy Shin Bet chief “S” as acting head of the domestic security service, despite seemingly severe legal problems with the step.

The High Court recently determined that Netanyahu had a conflict of interest in firing outgoing Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar due to the agency’s participation in criminal investigations against the prime minister’s top aides.

The attorney general then told Netanyahu as a result that he was barred from appointing a new Shin Bet chief himself and must transfer that authority to another cabinet minister, but the prime minister has not done so.

The Attorney General’s Office states in a letter to the acting Civil Service commissioner that since having a serving Shin Bet chief is crucial for Israel’s security, Netanyahu’s appointment of “S” as acting agency head is permissible for up to a month.

“The attorney general believes that under the circumstances, and especially in light of the essential consideration of preventing harm to state security, the position can be assigned to the proposed candidate, as requested, for a period of one month,” states the Attorney General’s Office.

The Prime Minister’s Office said that “S” had been appointed for a month period in order to complete the appointment process of Maj. Gen. David Zini as permanent Shin Bet chief, although Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has asserted that Netanyahu’s appointment of Zini was unlawful due to his conflict of interest.