From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Ex-PM Bennett defends incoming Shin Bet chief, after leftist pledge to remove him
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleAriela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett defends incoming Shin Bet chief David Zini, after Democrats party chairman Yair Golan pledges that if voted into power he will remove him from the post.
“In the corrective government that will be formed, every official will be measured by his actions for the good of the state, not by the prejudices of politicians or the media,” Bennett says, who has formed a new party known only as Bennett 2026, in a post on X.
He adds that Zini’s appointment process “was flawed, through no fault of Zini’s,” but stresses that “from the moment Maj. Gen. David Zini is lawfully appointed, he is the head of the Shin Bet of the State of Israel. I wish him success in this national and vital role.”
Golan’s remarks also sparked criticism from fellow opposition leader Benny Gantz, head of the Blue and White–National Unity party, who tweeted that threatening to dismiss security chiefs is exactly the behavior of the government they hope to replace.
Zini, a former general, was nominated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and may be confirmed by the government tonight.
His candidacy was approved last week by the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee, which rejected the argument that Netanyahu was barred from proposing a candidate while the Shin Bet was actively investigating his advisers for ties to Qatar.
The Times of Israel Community.