Shin Bet Director David Zini acknowledged Tuesday that he accepted the position because he has a clear vision he hopes to advance, saying he believes one of his greatest qualifications is his ability to remain loyal to Israel’s elected leadership. His remarks, delivered at an event earlier in the day and later released by the Shin Bet after recordings aired on i24News, sparked fierce political backlash from both supporters and critics.

“I have worldviews that I want to advance. That is my responsibility, and that is my job,” Zini said, explaining why he agreed to become head of Israel’s domestic security agency.

Zini insisted he is not “a puppet that moves with the wind,” saying he considered himself particularly suited for the role because of his willingness to faithfully serve whichever government is elected.

For the first time, Zini also described how Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu approached him about taking over the Shin Bet, despite his long-held opposition to appointing leaders from outside the organization.

“When the Prime Minister asked me if I was willing to become head of the Shin Bet, anyone here who knows me knows that for many years I opposed people who came without going through the trenches,” he said, referring to his transition from the IDF to the Shin Bet.

“On the face of it, I should have told him—I am not qualified. But I told him yes. I immediately told him he has people inside the service who are better than I am, so why not choose one of them? But I told him I could take on the mission. And the reason I agreed was because the area in which I felt I was highly qualified, perhaps more than many others, was the ability to be loyal to the elected leadership, regardless of its views. Tomorrow it could be someone else.”

In another video recorded at Tuesday’s event, Zini elaborated on his philosophy of leadership.

“I have an internal engine, I have worldviews, I am not a puppet that moves with the wind. I have an agenda, I want to advance it, that is my responsibility. That is my role. I need to be the locomotive. But at the same time, I must be humble before the elected officials, and I can become the last car on the train in a second—just tell me where we’re going.”

When audience members applauded, Zini stopped them.

“We don’t need to applaud trivial things. Look at our situation. To say that it’s nighttime now and start applauding—that’s not it.”

Reflecting on his participation in Israel’s security cabinet during the war, Zini praised the country’s resilience while criticizing what he described as dysfunction within the government bureaucracy.

“I look at the war, 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 leadership doesn’t really have the ability to manage the systems for which it is responsible because people have become confused about what their role is. Ministers can issue directives, and it can take eight months before they are implemented. A servant who becomes king. It is a serious illness that must be treated.”

Zini also took aim at Israel’s legal system and what he characterized as an excessive focus on procedure at the expense of common sense.

“Look how many lawyers we have. They create monsters that harm human rights, individual rights, growth, the economy, prosperity, national security—every direction you want. They often use human rights, individual rights—’nonsense dressed up.’ They harm and trample people in the name of procedures and regulations. Often they are not bad people. Please sign on to common sense before anything else.”

He later clarified that his criticism was not directed at the judicial system itself.

“With all due respect and appreciation for lawyers and legal experts, they are a tool,” he said. As applause broke out again, he responded, “Friends, don’t take it there. A country without a strong legal system is a destroyed country. It’s not that I don’t have criticism, but that’s not the issue.”

Zini added that some of the failures leading up to the October 7 massacre stemmed from this same mindset.

“We confused the essence with technical details. Someone who understands the essence and believes in it cares even more about the small details. And someone who doesn’t care about the small details probably doesn’t really care about the big things either.”

The comments immediately triggered a political firestorm.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir defended Zini, saying, “Finally, the head of a senior security organization has said the most basic thing in a democratic state,” adding that the Shin Bet chief is subordinate to Israel’s elected leadership. Ben Gvir also rebuked Zini’s critics, telling him, “Do not fear, David, do not fear!”

Opposition leader Yair Golan, chairman of The Democrats party, sharply condemned the remarks, calling Zini’s comments “one of the most dangerous statements ever heard.” Golan argued that the head of the Shin Bet must be loyal only to the State of Israel and the law, warning that loyalty to political leaders—especially during an election period—could transform the agency into a tool for preserving those in power. He concluded with a warning: “Anyone who confuses loyalty to the state with loyalty to politicians will not remain in office for even one day.”

MK Naama Lazimi also blasted Zini, asserting that “the judicial coup is already deep inside the Shin Bet.” She described his comments as an existential threat to Israeli democracy and national security, warning of potential harm to the integrity of future elections if the head of the country’s domestic intelligence agency advances the government’s agenda. She concluded, “Anyone who is prepared to sell the country’s security in order to please the ruler should be sent home.”

{Matzav.com}