In a major shift, Shin Bet Chief David Zini has informed the government that the security agency supports a bill to enact the death penalty for terrorists, Haaretz reports.
Zini was said to have endorsed the legislation on the security service’s behalf after being appointed to his role last month. His selection by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was controversial, with opponents citing Zini’s hard-right politics and the premier’s potential conflict of interest in nominating someone to head the agency.
The agency’s sudden backing signals a departure from the consensus of former Shin Bet heads, who largely opposed similar legislative actions in past years.
The death penalty bill, sponsored by MK Limor Son Har-Melech of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, passed its first reading last week. It is currently being debated in the Knesset’s National Security Committee, ahead of its second and third plenary readings.
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