Netanyahu asks committee to approve David Zini as new Shin Bet chief despite legal concerns

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday approached the committee responsible for approving senior appointments, requesting approval to appoint Brigadier-General (res.) David Zini as head of the Shin Bet (Shabak), after the government legal adviser had previously voiced reservations about the legality of the appointment.

Netanyahu asked the committee to ratify the appointment so the government could approve it before the acting head’s term ends on Sept. 21, saying the “urgent need to appoint a permanent head, given the security challenges facing the agency,” requires speeding up the approval.

In his letter to the committee, chaired by former Supreme Court president, retired Justice Asher Grunis, Netanyahu said the move is in line with legal understandings in place since 2015. He said he had considered “a number of candidates from within the Shabak and from other security agencies,” adding that “the implications of the Oct. 7 events for the agency led me to choose a new chief from outside its ranks.”

Netanyahu noted he had met Zini several times in various leadership capacities, and disclosed that “about a year and a half ago I interviewed him for the post of military secretary to the prime minister,” and that he offered him the leadership of the Shabak in May 2025.

Netanyahu praised the candidate’s qualities, saying: “I believe the critical thinking that characterized Brig.-Gen. Zini, his willingness to think outside the box, to reassess operational assumptions, his adherence to his professional stance and his ability to lead the system and adapt it to a changing reality, along with his accumulated experience in building and operating forces, lead me to conclude he is the most suitable candidate to head the agency.”

Netanyahu provided the committee with Zini’s military biography, which included service as a fighter in Sayeret Matkal (the IDF General Staff Reconnaissance Unit), commander of the 51st Battalion in the Golani Brigade, commander of the Egoz unit, and later command of brigades, training brigades and military rehabilitation centers.

Zini founded and chaired the Commando Brigade and later commanded the 340th Division, the commanders’ courses for battalions and brigades, the National Ground Training Center, corps commands and the national training authority. Netanyahu also noted that Zini founded the Hachmonayim Brigade, one of the army’s new brigades.

Under the usual procedure, five days will be given for the public to submit objections to the appointment before the Grunis committee meets to discuss its final recommendation on approval, noting that the legal adviser had considered Netanyahu to be in a conflict of interest and without authority to appoint a new Shabak chief.

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, following the announcement of Netanyahu’s letter to the appointments committee, said the step represents “an assault on the integrity of governance and the rule of law.” The movement added that “the prime minister’s decision to appoint Zini is tainted by a conflict of interest; it is a corrupt and illegal decision,” and said it “will use all legal tools to ensure the appointment of a Shabak chief according to proper administrative rules.”

Since the resignation of former Shabak head Ronen Bar in June, his deputy, known by the letter “Sh,” has been serving as acting head. In July the government reached a settlement with government legal adviser Gali Baharav‑Miara concerning the appointment of a new Shabak chief.

The settlement allows Netanyahu to announce his candidate after two months. Under the agreement, Netanyahu’s nominee is barred from exercising any authority related to investigations of the prime minister’s close associates and advisers. For that reason, “Sh”’s term was extended until a permanent successor is appointed.

The settlement did not include a commitment by the legal adviser on when the investigation into Netanyahu’s associates would conclude; under its terms, the issue of Netanyahu’s conflict of interest will not be raised when he re‑announces David Zini’s nomination to head the agency.

However, the legal adviser believes the appointments committee is required to address the fact that Netanyahu initially chose Zini while he was in a conflict of interest. In addition, it is likely that if Netanyahu renews Zini’s nomination, petitions will be filed against him for other reasons, including remarks attributed to him in closed conversations that “the judicial system is a dictatorship that controls the entire state.”