Outrage after Shin Bet chief says loyalty to political echelon is top qualification

The head of the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet), David Zini, met on Thursday morning with President Isaac Herzog and Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg, telling them that “in all matters concerning the elections, we are directly subordinate to you.”

President Herzog’s office released a statement after the meeting, noting that it took place at the request of Zini. 

The discussion on election security comes as the Knesset prepares to end its summer session ahead of upcoming elections. Recent polling suggests a close race between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and a new party led by former IDF Chief Gadi Eisenkot.

In a statement after the meeting, Herzog said he had met with Zini and Sohlberg “in order to announce full backing for the Central Elections Committee, and to ensure that the upcoming elections will take place in a proper, fair, and secure manner.”

“Elections are not a civil war – they are a highly significant social and democratic process in the life of a nation,” Herzog continued. “There are elements from within, and mainly from outside, seeking to influence the integrity of the elections and undermine our society – we are here to ensure that this does not happen.” 

Herzog also said the leaders would do everything in their power "to protect Israeli democracy and the public's trust in the election process.” 

Zini was quoted as telling Sohlberg, “It is important for me to tell you, and to tell the people of Israel, that in all matters concerning the elections, the General Security Service is directly subordinate to the chairman of the Elections Committee, in order to do everything in our power to maintain the integrity and fairness of the elections.” 

The meeting between the three leaders took place after Zini sparked a political uproar by saying that his primary qualification for the role is his loyalty to the political echelon.

“For many years I opposed people who come [to a position] without going through the trenches. On the face of it, I was supposed to tell him (Netanyahu) I was not qualified,” Zini stated in a video distributed by Shin Bet. “But I told him yes. I immediately told him that he had better people than me within the service; why wouldn't he take them? But I told him I could take the task. The reason I agreed is that the issue that I felt I was very qualified for, perhaps more than many other good people, is the ability to be loyal to the elected echelon, no matter what their opinion is.” 

President Herzog responded to Zini’s remarks on Wednesday during a graduation ceremony at the National Security College, saying that the law requires the Shin Bet to be loyal to the people of Israel and to the laws of the state, not to any individual or political party.

“The security and law enforcement bodies in the State of Israel are not loyal to a person or to one [political] camp or another, but to the sovereign, the people of Israel, to Israel’s body of law, and to the values of the Jewish and democratic state,” Herzog said.

Political commentators noted that the law establishing Israel's domestic intelligence agency does not use the word loyalty but defines the relationship as subordination to the political echelon in service of the nation. 

According to Section 7(a) of the Shin Bet Law, ‘The purpose of the service is to preserve the security of the state, the order of the democratic regime, and its institutions, against threats of terrorism, sabotage, subversion, espionage, and the disclosure of state secrets.” 

While codifying the organization’s subordination to the government, the law clearly prohibits use of its service for “promoting partisan-political interests.” 

Section 4(c) states, “The service will operate in a state manner; The service will not be tasked with promoting partisan-political interests.” 

In his comments, Zini also criticized the behavior of previous members of the Security Cabinet, claiming that they had interfered with the ability of elected officials to do their jobs. 

“I sit in the cabinet, I look at how ministries contribute to the war effort, and I tell you – it is a miracle. The elected echelon does not really have the capabilities to manage the frameworks for which it is entrusted and elected, because people were confused about their role,” Zini stated. 

“Ministers can instruct 'X' and it will take eight months for the instruction to be implemented,” Zini continued, quoting a section from Proverbs 30:21-23, which lists four things the world cannot bear, including, he said, “A servant when he reigns…This is a sick evil that needs to be addressed.”

The uproar was largely due to suspicion among many opposition supporters in Israel that the current coalition government – and Netanyahu, in particular – would attempt to abuse that loyalty for political interests. 

Two previous Shin Bet directors have submitted affidavits to the High Court of Justice alleging that Netanyahu had asked them to use their office to advance personal political interests. They also point to the choice of his military secretary as the next head of the Mossad as evidence that Netanyahu is seeking to surround himself with officials personally loyal to him.

However, coalition supporters noted that while not legally precise, Zini’s words align with the law that Shin Bet is subject to the political echelon.