The sequence of events over the last few days between the new Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) head appointee, the IDF chief of staff, and the prime minister, has damaged the delicate fabric of relations between the chief of staff and the government, and has undermined the IDF head’s status.
The appointment of Maj.-Gen. David Zini as the next head of the Shin Bet, announced on Friday, has already led to fallout, with his resignation from the IDF before the appointment being approved and before his taking office. This followed a meeting with Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir meant to clarify how the appointment process unfolded.
It is customary that when appointing major generals and brigadier generals to the position of military secretary for the defense minister or prime minister, the IDF is asked to present between three and four candidates.
The selection process for Zini, a member of the General Staff Forum, was done right under the nose of Zamir, who insists on the existing arrangement between the General Staff and the political echelon.
There is no doubt that after the dismissal, relations between them will be tense, and some will claim that they are already troubled.
The primary concern for any chief of staff is that political leaders may now engage directly with officers behind the military leadership’s back or appoint generals to external roles without consultation. Such actions risk disrupting long-term planning and authority – in short, Zamir’s standing could be undermined.
Similar scenarios in the past that thawed at the relations
A similar scenario occurred in 2012, when then-prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu attempted to appoint then-Brig.-Gen. Herzi Halevi as military secretary. Then-chief of staff Benny Gantz strongly opposed the move, and Netanyahu ultimately withdrew the appointment.
Following the 2006 kidnapping of soldier Gilad Shalit, relations between the Shin Bet and the IDF soured amid questions over whether the agency had provided advance warning. Eight years later, during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, the two bodies clashed again – this time over tunnel intelligence.
Since then, successive chiefs of staff and Shin Bet directors have worked to mend the rifts, many of which became public and inflamed tensions.
According to generals in the General Staff, only in recent years have both sides managed to rebuild trust and operate in “harmony.” If Zini’s appointment proceeds, it is likely that it will damage professional ties between him and Zamir.