High Court orders former Shin Bet officials who challenged Zini appointment to disclose their names

The latest dispute over one of Israel’s most contested security appointments is moving closer to an end after the High Court ordered 189 former Shin Bet officials to reveal their identities to David Zini.

The officials must provide their names to Zini by the following Thursday. The information will go only to the Shin Bet director and will remain barred from public release.

The petition was backed by former Shin Bet directors Nadav Argaman, Ami Ayalon and Carmi Gillon, along with 186 former colleagues. They argued that Zini, a retired IDF major-general, had never held an intelligence position and lacked the professional background needed to lead an agency responsible for counterterrorism, counterespionage, internal security and the protection of Israel’s democratic institutions.

The petitioners also said the appointment process did not include a substantive assessment of Zini’s professional suitability. They argued that conflicts involving people in his immediate circle could prevent him from handling parts of the agency’s work. They asked the court to cancel the appointment and order a new selection process, or require the government to show that professional considerations, rather than political or personal ones, had driven the choice.

The High Court rejected the challenge in December by a 2-1 vote. Deputy Supreme Court President Noam Sohlberg and Justice David Mintz found no basis for judicial intervention after the appointment received approval from the Advisory Committee on Senior Civil Service Appointments and the government. Zini was appointed after a turbulent process that began with the government’s attempt to dismiss his predecessor, Ronen Bar. The court had ruled that Bar’s dismissal was unlawful and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a conflict of interest because the Shin Bet was investigating the Qatargate affair involving members of the Prime Minister’s Office.