Netanyahu appoints new Shin Bet chief, defies legal warning

Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has named a senior army officer as the next head of the Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency, drawing immediate criticism from the Attorney General, who warned the appointment was tainted by a conflict of interest.

The Prime Minister’s Office said Major General David Zini would succeed Ronen Bar as Shin Bet Director.

Zini has held a series of senior operational posts in the Israeli military, including with the elite Sayeret Matkal special forces and as head of the Commando Brigade.

Within minutes of the announcement, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara issued a public rebuke, saying Netanyahu had disregarded legal advice and may have made the decision while in a state of conflict of interest.

“The Prime Minister acted in violation of legal guidance, raising serious concerns that he did so while in a state of conflict of interest, rendering the appointment process fundamentally flawed,” she said in a statement.

The warning follows a Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday that found Netanyahu’s dismissal of outgoing Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar was unlawful.

The court said Netanyahu’s conflict of interest influenced the move due to ongoing investigations involving his associates in the so-called “Qatar-Gate” affair.

Bar’s removal came amid growing political fallout over intelligence lapses ahead of the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.

He had called for a state commission of inquiry into the performance of Israel’s security services and government before and during the assault.

Legal challenges to Zini’s appointment are expected.

Baharav-Miara had cautioned Netanyahu against moving forward until safeguards were in place to ensure the integrity of the selection process.

Netanyahu is currently standing trial on corruption charges, which he denies.

He has repeatedly described the proceedings as politically motivated and part of a “witch hunt”.

Zini, the son of immigrants from France and the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, has held “many” operational and command positions in the Israeli military, Thursday’s announcement said, including for some elite units and combat brigades.

The announcement comes after more than two months of political and legal wrangling over who should head the powerful agency.

In March, Netanyahu said that he was dismissing Bar due to “ongoing lack of trust”.

The move was challenged in court by non-profit organisations and the political opposition, which decried it as a sign of anti-democratic drift on the part of Netanyahu’s right-wing government.

Following Thursday’s announcement, Opposition leader Yair Lapid called on “General Zini to announce that he cannot accept his appointment until the Supreme Court rules on the matter”.

The NGO Movement for Quality Government in Israel, meanwhile, said it will file a legal petition “in the coming days against this invalid appointment, and will continue to stand firm against attempts to defy the legal system and the rule of law”.

Bar himself suggested that his ouster was linked to investigations into Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack “and other serious matters”.

He has since said he will step down in June.

Baharav-Miara has suggested Netanyahu’s conflict of interest in removing Bar stems from a case, dubbed “Qatargate” by Israeli media, involving close advisers to the premier under investigation for allegedly receiving money from the Gulf emirate, which has long hosted the political office of Hamas.

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said on Thursday that “the authority to appoint the head of the Shin Bet is legally granted solely to the Prime Minister — and it is good that the Prime Minister exercised this authority and appointed a very worthy individual”.

IANS