Netanyahu informs senior appointments panel he picks David Zini as next Shin Bet head

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informs the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee, led by former Supreme Court president Asher Grunis, that he chooses Maj. Gen. David Zini as the next head of the Shin Bet security agency.

Zini, a father of 11, had until recently served as head of the IDF Training Command and General Staff Corps. He has also been responsible for advancing the drafting of Haredi soldiers to the military. He was dismissed from the army several months ago after going behind IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir’s back to discuss the Shin Bet appointment with Netanyahu.

He is a controversial figure due to his self-described “messianic” views, and according to reports, officials in the Shin Bet have threatened to resign if he takes over the agency.

“After looking at several candidates from the service and other security agencies, and with attention to the consequences of October 7 on the Shin Bet, I decided to nominate a new Shin Bet chief who comes from outside the ranks of the organization,” a letter from the Prime Minister’s Office to the appointments panel says.

Zini was nominated by Netanyahu as head of the agency in May, though the appointment has been fraught from the start, as the ouster of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar was itself a point of contention.

Under an agreement between the government and the attorney general in July, Netanyahu was to inform the head of the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee of his pick to head the domestic security agency, which would review the candidate’s suitability for the job.

The two-month period since the agreement was approved by the High Court, according to Hebrew media outlets, was designed to give the Shin Bet time to complete its part in the criminal investigations in the Qatargate and leaked documents scandals, both of which involve Netanyahu’s close aides.