Exclusive recordings published by i24NEWS on Tuesday show Shin Bet chief David Zini saying he agreed to take the job because of his “ability to be loyal to the elected leadership,” while also sharply criticizing the legal establishment. Zini said he believes the elected echelon often lacks the ability to properly manage the systems under its authority, and argued that ministers can issue directives that then take months to implement. He said he has his own worldview and agenda and is “not a marionette moved by the wind,” adding that this sense of responsibility was part of why he accepted the position.

In another portion of the recordings, Zini lashed out at lawyers and the broader legal system, saying “monsters” emerge from it that harm human rights, individual rights, economic growth, prosperity and national security. He said lawyers and jurists are supposed to be a tool to assist decision-makers, not dominate the process, and argued that “common sense” should come before procedure.

The report was met with so-called “outrage” by the left, despite the fact that Zini’s remarks are in accordance with Israeli law.

Democrats chairman Yair Golan said the recordings exposed one of the most dangerous statements ever made by someone leading a security body, arguing that the head of the Shin Bet must be loyal only to the State of Israel, its security and the law. MK Naama Lazimi said the comments showed the government’s judicial overhaul mentality had already penetrated the Shin Bet and warned that a security service driven by political loyalty ahead of elections would pose a direct threat to democracy and the integrity of the vote.

Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich responded by saying: “The Shin Bet chief stated the obvious: In a democracy, the security services and civil servants are subordinate to the elected officials who derive their authority from the people. Those attacking Zini for speaking the truth invoke the name of democracy in vain and seek to trample the law, which states that the Shin Bet is subordinate to the government.”

“The attacks against him are taking place solely because this is the first time someone in his position has loudly voiced the truth— that bureaucrats and legal advisers make it difficult for elected officials to govern the State of Israel.”

“This is dangerous, and it will become even worse if, chalila, the left returns to power and entrenches the rule of the legal establishment, which will continue to trample the people and their elected representatives.”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir wrote, “At last, the head of a senior security agency is saying the most basic thing in a democratic state, something that has become extraordinary thanks to the madness of the High Court and the Attorney General: ‘I am subordinate to the elected leadership.’

“Now watch the left-wing lunatics and the cult of the judicial junta’s sycophants attack him with furious rage.”

Chairman of the Constitution Committee MK Simcha Rothman stated: “The Shin Bet chief is stating something that should be obvious to anyone who genuinely cares about the rule of law or democracy.

“Governmental authority belongs in the hands of an elected government, not in the hands of a closed clique of bureaucratic and judicial oligarchs.

“Look at who is attacking him, and you’ll understand who the dangerous fascists are who should never be allowed anywhere near power.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)