Israeli opposition leader accuses PM of undermining security over Shin Bet nomination

Israel’s National Unity party chairman Benny Gantz has publicly urged Major General David Zini, the designated incoming head of the Shin Bet domestic security agency, to decline the appointment.

Gantz condemned the decision by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “sabotage of the security establishment,” asserting that the manner in which the appointment was made undermines the integrity of one of Israel’s most critical security institutions, Caliber.Az reports via Israeli media.

“Appointing the head of the Shin Bet, in defiance of a High Court ruling, drags the organization that guards the holy of holies of our security and democracy into the political mud,” Gantz told reporters ahead of his party’s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset.

“If the Shin Bet sinks into the political mud, we are all in danger. We also need to talk about the [nomination] procedure,” he added.

Gantz further challenged the procedural legitimacy of the appointment, stating, “The head of the Shin Bet is not appointed in a five-minute conversation in a jeep.” He referred to a recent encounter on May 8 at the Tzeelim military base, where Netanyahu reportedly held a brief discussion with Zini in his car, inquiring about his willingness to assume the role.

Following Netanyahu’s announcement, Zini was dismissed from the military on May 23 for meeting with the prime minister without informing IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir. Gantz outlined three troubling possibilities regarding the circumstances of the appointment: either Netanyahu acted behind the backs of the defence minister and chief of staff, constituting a “serious matter”; or he proceeded without fully understanding Zini’s positions, amounting to “security recklessness”; or the appointment was part of a “corruption at the expense of state security.”

Despite these concerns, Gantz expressed confidence in Zini’s character, describing him as a “talented field commander” and a “moral and courageous officer,” and doubted that Zini had made any personal commitments to Netanyahu. Nonetheless, Gantz insisted that the appointment process threatens to provoke an unprecedented government crisis and urged Zini to publicly reject the position if appointed under such conditions.

When questioned about the ongoing failure to secure the release of the remaining 58 hostages and its implications for government functionality, Gantz acknowledged differing approaches within the opposition but emphasized a unified objective: “early elections and the replacement of the Israeli government in order to renew trust between the people and their elected officials.”

By Vafa Guliyeva