JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL

Israeli Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara said Thursday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acted contrary to a legal directive in appointing Maj. Gen. David Zini as the new head of Israel's Shin Bet internal security agency, describing the move as “flawed,” the local Yedioth Ahronoth daily reported.

Netanyahu’s move defied a Supreme Court ruling and Baharav-Miara’s directive that the dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar was unlawful.

Baharav-Miara had warned Wednesday against making any appointment before a legal review is completed related to Bar’s dismissal.

Responding to Netanyahu’s decision, she said "the prime minister acted contrary to the legal directive. There is serious concern that he acted while in a conflict of interest and the appointment process is flawed,” according to Yedioth Ahronoth.

The daily added that Netanyahu did not update Baharav-Miara before announcing the appointment of Zini.

“Petitions to the Supreme Court regarding the appointment are expected after Netanyahu brings it for government approval,” it said.

Later, the Israel Hayom daily reported that clashes erupted between police and Israeli protesters in Tel Aviv over Netanyahu’s appointment of Zini.

“Netanyahu has a serious conflict of interest in the matter of appointing a Shin Bet chief due to the Qatargate scandal, in which the people closest to him received money from an Arab country that supports terrorism,” opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote on X.

The scandal emerged with claims that millions of dollars from Qatar were funneled into Netanyahu's election campaign.

In response, he announced that he had filed lawsuits against those making the allegations.

The claims have led to an investigation, with Netanyahu's spokesperson Eli Feldstein and advisors Jonathan Urich and Yisrael Einhorn facing accusations.

Shin Bet has been involved in the probe.

On March 20, the government decided to dismiss Bar, with the decision set to take effect on April 10.

But the Supreme Court issued a temporary order preventing his dismissal or the announcement of a replacement until it reviewed petitions filed by the opposition against the decision.

On April 28, however, Bar announced that he would leave his post on June 15.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing over 53,700 Palestinians, most of them women and children.​​​​​​​

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.​​​​​​​

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.