Shin Bet officials threaten to resign over Netanyahu’s appointment of David Zini as new chief

JERUSALEM

Senior field officers in Israel's internal security service, Shin Bet, have threatened to resign if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appoints Maj. Gen. David Zini as the agency's next head, Israel's public broadcaster KAN reported on Sunday evening.

Field coordinators responsible for the Jerusalem and West Bank sectors said they are considering resigning in closed-door discussions, describing the potential appointment as a “political move” that undermines the agency’s professional integrity.

They emphasized that Zini's views are incompatible with Shin Bet’s values.

Although no formal resignations have been submitted, the threat marks significant dissent within the ranks of Israel’s secret security body.

On Thursday, Netanyahu announced the appointment of David Zini as the new head of the Shin Bet security agency, defying a Supreme Court ruling and the Attorney General's directive that the dismissal of current chief Ronen Bar was unlawful.

The Israeli government dismissed Bar in March, 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.

The dispute comes as the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing more than 53,900 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.