Jerusalem Post/Israel News/Israel Politics"The elected leadership is not really capable of managing the frameworks for which it is entrusted and elected," Zini said, "because the people have become confused about their role."Follow us on GoogleIsrael Security Agency (Shin Bet) Director David Zini visits at Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem during Memorial Day which commemorates the fallen Israeli soldiers and victims of terror, on April 21, 2026.(photo credit: CHAIM GOLDBERG/FLASH90)ByJERUSALEM POST STAFFJULY 8, 2026 10:34Updated: JULY 8, 2026 11:03David Zini, chief of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), said on Tuesday that he agreed to be appointed to the position because he felt that he had "the ability to be loyal to the elected leadership.""On the face of it, I should have told him (Netanyahu) I was not qualified," Zini explained. "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 on the mission. The reason I agreed was that the issue that I felt I was very qualified for, perhaps more than many other good people, was the ability to be loyal to the elected leadership, no matter what opinion."Democrats party leader Yair Golan called Zini's statement "one of the most dangerous statements ever made by someone who headed Israel’s security system.""Anyone who enters the role with a political agenda and declares that their job is to serve the government and not the state is a danger to the country’s security," Golan stated in a post on X/Twitter."We are at the start of an election campaign. A security service led out of loyalty to the political echelon and not to the law could turn from a tool that protects democracy into a tool that serves a government that wants to cling to power. This is not just a threat to the integrity of the elections and to public trust in the state’s institutions - it’s a real security threat that could harm the country’s stability and its ability to deal with threats from within and without."In contrast, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir praised Zini for what he said, saying that it was "the fundamental thing in a democratic country.""Now watch the left-wing lunatics and the sycophants of the judicial junta attack him in a fury," Ben-Gvir wrote. "Don't fear, David, don't fear!"Zini appointed as Shin Bet head despite High Court ruling Zini was appointed in May, 2025, by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir was notified of Zini’s appointment just minutes before it was announced publicly and did not take part in the decision-making process.The office's announcement was made despite a High Court ruling that the dismissal of Shin Bet head Ronen Bar was unlawful due to Netanyahu's conflict of interest in the "Qatargate" affair, and despite the opposition of Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara.This is a developing story.Follow us on Google