PM Netanyahu Ensures New Intelligence Chief Will Soon Serve Next Month

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the newly appointed head of the interior intelligence service would soon hold office next month, following a fierce dispute over the dismissal of his predecessor.

"The Prime Minister is responsible for the security of the country, especially during the multi-front war," Netanyahu said regarding the appointment of Major General David Zini, head of the military's Training and Doctrine Command as head of the Shin Bet intelligence service.

As reported by Reuters on Friday, May 23, Zini will replace Ronen Bar who will step down on June 15 after a fierce clash with Netanyahu who tried to fire him in March before the decision was blocked by the Supreme Court's interim decision.

Last month the Supreme Court ruled the dismissal was illegal but Bar said it would resign to allow the handover of an orderly position.

Netanyahu said when announcing his March dismissal he had lost confidence in Bar over Shin Bet's failure to prevent a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 against Israel.

The move drew strong reactions from critics who said the real reason for Bar's dismissal was an investigation by the police and Shin Bet over possible financial relations between a number of assistants near the prime minister and Qatar.

The incident sparked massive demonstrations in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem by protesters who said Netanyahu was undermining democracy by trying to fire Bar while an investigation called "Qatargate" was underway.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court ruled that Bar's dismissal was unlawfully enforced, and Netanyahu had a conflict of interest over Qatargate's investigation.

Bar has always accepted responsibility for Shin Bet's failure to prevent the October 7 attack and said he would leave his post early.

Netanyahu said any delay in appointing a new head of the agency, which carried out a counterterrorism investigation, was "the highest level security requirement for any delay in endangering the security of our country and the security of our soldiers".