Shin Bet Chief David Zini Meets with Naftali Bennett Amid Criticism

Last week, it was revealed that Shin Bet chief David Zini met with Gadi Eizenkot, chairman of the Yisrael party. On Sunday evening, reports emerged that Zini also met with Naftali Bennett, leader of the Yachad party, following Bennett's threat to remove security chiefs he deemed unfit. Zini sought to counter recent accusations that he was "loyal to the king, not the kingdom," referring to his comments about loyalty to the elected leadership. During the meeting, they also discussed Bennett's security arrangements as a prime ministerial candidate during the elections.

Earlier that week, it was disclosed that Zini and Eizenkot met to ease the criticism directed at Zini by Eizenkot after Zini stated he was "loyal to the political echelon regardless of its composition." Eizenkot strongly condemned those remarks. At the beginning of the month, Zini had said at an Argaman Institute conference that he accepted the Shin Bet role because he felt uniquely qualified to be loyal to the elected leadership, regardless of their views. He criticized the elected officials' ability to manage their responsibilities, saying ministers could issue directives that might take eight months to implement.

Days later, in an interview with Channel 13, Eizenkot responded sharply, stating that any security chief who claimed personal loyalty to him rather than to the state would be dismissed immediately.