David Zini concludes military service after being chosen by Netanyahu to lead Shin Bet

Maj. Gen. David Zini, who was appointed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to head the Shin Bet security agency, officially left the military this week.

On Wednesday, a ceremony was held to bid Zini farewell after 33 years of service in the IDF. The event was attended by Deputy IDF Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai, the military says.

Zini was dismissed from the military by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir for holding talks with Netanyahu behind his back.

Zini had commanded the IDF Training Command and General Staff Corps.

Following his departure from the military, the General Staff Corps, a top-level unit only activated in wartime, was given to the chief of the Ground Forces, Maj. Gen. Nadav Lotan, the IDF says.

The Training Command, meanwhile, has temporarily been placed under the responsibility of the chief of staff of the command and the head of its training division, Brig. Gen. Sharon Altit.

In his parting speech, Zini says “messianism” is not “a derogatory term” after Haaretz reported that last year, Netanyahu had refused to appoint him to become his military secretary, telling confidants after interviewing him that he was “too messianic.”

“Recently, the term ‘messianic’ has come to the forefront of discourse. We are all messianic, like David Ben-Gurion and the founding fathers of the nation. Messianism is not a derogatory term. It is thanks to this constant flame that we aspire to perfection in all areas of our lives.” Zini says.