Latest news with #GaliBaharavMiara
Arab News
27-05-2025
- General
- Arab News
Israel attorney general says PM's nomination for Shin Bet chief ‘illegal'
JERUSALEM: Israel's attorney general has said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's nomination of an army major general as head of domestic intelligence is 'illegal,' after the supreme court found his move to sack the incumbent chief unlawful. Netanyahu named David Zini as his pick to lead the Shin Bet last week, after months of legal and political wrangling over his attempt to dismiss the current chief Ronen Bar. In a letter to Netanyahu obtained by AFP on Tuesday, Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara pointed to the recent 'court decisions regarding the end of the Shin Bet director's mandate.' 'Your decision regarding major general Zini, made in a situation of conflict of interest and contradicting the conclusions of the judgment as well as the judicial directives in force, is illegitimate and illegal,' she said. The prime minister announced Zini's selection a day after the supreme court ruled the government's decision to fire Bar was 'improper and unlawful.' Netanyahu said in March that he was dismissing Bar because of an 'ongoing lack of trust.' That move was challenged in court by non-profit organizations and Israel's political opposition, which decried it as a sign of an anti-democratic drift on the part of Netanyahu's right-wing coalition government. Bar has since said he will step down in June. Following the supreme court's ruling that his firing was unlawful, Baharav-Miara had said Netanyahu 'must refrain from any action related to the appointment of a new head of the Shin Bet.' The prime minister, however, has insisted Zini be installed as soon as possible, calling it 'a security requirement of the highest order.' He has yet to publicly respond to Baharav Miara's latest letter. At least one NGO has threatened to file a challenge against the appointment, which still has to be approved by a vetting committee and the cabinet to be finalized. A legal opinion submitted to the attorney general by her deputy acknowledged the need to fill the role quickly, and suggested that a legal workaround to Netanyahu's conflict of interest would be to 'transfer the authority to another minister, who will present a candidate to the government.'
Irish Times
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Netanyahu pushes Israel towards constitutional crisis by naming new security chief
Israel is facing a constitutional crisis after prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu appointed a new internal security chief in defiance of the attorney general's instructions. Attorney general Gali Baharav-Miara has said investigations into ties between Mr Netanyahu's office and Qatar put the prime minister in a conflict of interest. Ms Baharav-Miara said the process of appointing Maj Gen David Zini to lead the Israel Security Agency (ISA) Shin Bet was tainted. She said she had informed Mr Netanyahu earlier this week that he must refrain, for now, from any action concerning the appointment of a new ISA director after the high court of justice ruled that his decision to oust Ronen Bar from the post had been made unlawfully. Mr Bar, under intense pressure from coalition politicians, announced last month that he would leave his position on June 15th. READ MORE The Movement for Quality Government NGO said it would petition the high court against the appointment. Critics of the government accused Mr Netanyahu of removing Mr Bar because he was an independent gatekeeper. Cabinet ministers praised Mr Netanyahu's decision. Far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote that Maj Gen Zini is a 'moral and creative officer who goes on the offensive and takes initiative, and is the right man at the right time to rehabilitate the ISA'. Minister Shlomo Karhi also welcomed the decision. 'Just like that: the rule of law, not the rule of the bureaucrats. The prime minister is the one who was elected by the people, not the attorney general. It's his prerogative and even his duty to appoint as ISA director someone he thinks is fit to maintain Israel's security at this fateful hour.' Opposition leader Yair Lapid called on Maj Gen Zini to announce that he could not accept the appointment until the high court rules on the matter. National Unity party leader Benny Gantz accused Mr Netanyahu of 'undermining the rule of law once again and leading the country into a constitutional collision at the expense of Israel's security'. After the appointment was announced, demonstrators lit a bonfire in Tel Aviv in protest at what they called a violation of the high court's ruling not to make an appointment at this juncture. Hitting back at the criticism, the prime minister's office issued a statement on Friday stressing that the new ISA chief will not interfere in ongoing investigations into the links between Mr Netanyahu's office and Qatar, in what has been dubbed the Qatargate affair. The investigations by police and the ISA were prompted by allegations of financial ties between Qatar and aides of Mr Netanyahu. The prime minister's office added that any delay in the appointment would be damaging to national security.
The National
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Israeli PM names new security chief in defiance of attorney general
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his pick for the next head of the Shin Bet domestic security agency, defying the country's attorney general's legal guidance. "Prime Minister Netanyahu announced this evening his decision to appoint Major General David Zini as the next head of the Shin Bet," a statement from his office said. The decision is the latest development in a long-running controversy surrounding the role, which has seen mass protests against the incumbent chief's dismissal, as well as against moves pushed by Mr Netanyahu's government to expand elected officials' power to appoint judges. The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled the government's decision to fire current domestic security chief Ronen Bar was "improper and unlawful". Mr Netanyahu's move to tap Zini to replace Bar directly defied Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who had said that, given the court ruling, the PM "must refrain from any action related to the appointment of a new head of the Shin Bet". Following Thursday's announcement, the attorney general released a statement saying that the PM was acting "contrary to legal guidance". "There is serious concern that he acted while in a conflict of interest, and the appointment process is flawed," the statement said. Mr Zini, 51, the son of immigrants from France and the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, has held "many" operational and command positions in the Israeli military, Thursday's announcement said, including for some elite units and combat brigades. The announcement comes after more than two months of political and legal wrangling over who should head the powerful agency. Mr Bar announced last month that he'd step down in mid-June amid the fight over Netanyahu's effort to dismiss him. On Thursday night, several large protests in Tel Aviv calling for the end of the war in Gaza and the release of hostages spontaneously shifted to demonstrations against Mr Zini's appointment.
Al Arabiya
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Israel PM names new security chief, defying attorney general
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Thursday his pick for the next head of the Shin Bet domestic security agency, defying the country's attorney general and a significant segment of the public. 'Prime Minister Netanyahu announced this evening his decision to appoint Major General David Zini as the next head of the Shin Bet,' a statement from the premier's office said. The decision is the latest development in a long-running controversy surrounding the role, which has seen mass protests against the incumbent chief's dismissal, as well as against moves pushed by Netanyahu's government to expand elected officials' power to appoint judges. The supreme court on Wednesday ruled the government's decision to fire current domestic security chief Ronen Bar was 'improper and unlawful.' Netanyahu's move to tap Zini to replace Bar directly defied Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who had said that, given the court ruling, the premier 'must refrain from any action related to the appointment of a new head of the Shin Bet.' Netanyahu immediately responded in a rare press conference that his government would make an appointment despite Baharav-Miara's stance. Following Thursday's announcement, the attorney general released a statement saying that the prime minister was acting 'contrary to legal guidance.' 'There is serious concern that he acted while in a conflict of interest, and the appointment process is flawed,' the statement said. New court challenge Zini, the son of immigrants from France and the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, has held 'many' operational and command positions in the Israeli military, Thursday's announcement said, including for some elite units and combat brigades. The announcement comes after more than two months of political and legal wrangling over who should head the powerful agency. In March, Netanyahu said that he was dismissing Bar due to 'ongoing lack of trust.' The move was challenged in court by non-profit organisations and the political opposition, which decried it as a sign of anti-democratic drift on the part of Netanyahu's right-wing government. Following Thursday's announcement, opposition leader Yair Lapid called on 'General Zini to announce that he cannot accept his appointment until the Supreme Court rules on the matter.' The NGO Movement for Quality Government in Israel, meanwhile, said it will file a legal petition 'in the coming days against this invalid appointment, and will continue to stand firm against attempts to defy the legal system and the rule of law.' Bar himself suggested that his ouster was linked to investigations into Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack 'and other serious matters.' He has since said he will step down in June. Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said Thursday that 'the authority to appoint the head of the Shin Bet is legally granted solely to the prime minister -- and it is good that the prime minister exercised this authority and appointed a very worthy individual.'
New York Times
22-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Netanyahu Names New Domestic Spy Chief After Clash With the Last One
Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Thursday named a replacement spy chief to lead Israel's domestic intelligence service, known as the Shin Bet, after a public clash with the last agency director. Maj. Gen. David Zini, who 'served in many operational and command positions' in the Israeli military, was appointed to lead the Shin Bet, according to a statement from the prime minister's office. Mr. Netanyahu's announcement is just the first step in the process, and there are already signs that the path ahead for General Zini may be fraught. The announcement came after a confrontation with the previous agency director, Ronen Bar, whom Mr. Netanyahu fired in March and who stepped down last month while the dismissal was being considered by Israel's highest court. On Wednesday, the high court wrote that Mr. Bar's dismissal had been 'tainted with many flaws.' The court's ruling also raised questions about potential conflicts of interest given that Mr. Netanyahu had fired Mr. Bar while the Shin Bet was investigating some of the prime minister's aides in connection with potential impropriety in their dealings with Qatar. Israel's attorney general, Gali Baharav-Miara, on Thursday questioned General Zini's appointment, according to Israeli news media, saying Mr. Netanyahu had defied legal guidance to hold off on choosing a new Shin Bet chief. Ms. Baharav-Miara argued to the high court that Mr. Netanyahu had improperly fired Mr. Bar, and the attorney general has said that Mr. Netanyahu cannot proceed with appointing a new Shin Bet chief until questions about the process and conflicts of interest are resolved. In March, the Israeli cabinet began the process of trying to dismiss Ms. Baharav-Miara. The opposition leader, Yair Lapid, in a statement on social media on Thursday, called on General Zini not to accept the appointment before Israel's high court could weigh in. Mr. Netanyahu has said that he lost confidence in Mr. Bar during the devastating Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks, blaming him for not preventing them. The announcement about General Zini said that in March 2023, he compiled a report for the commander of the Israeli military's Gaza division on preparedness for 'a complex surprise event,' and he had concluded that 'in almost any sector, a surprise raid on our forces could be carried out.' The Shin Bet, in a March report on the attack, assumed responsibility for failing to heed warning signs of a planned Hamas assault before the militants' strike. But that report also partly blamed government policies as contributing factors to the attack. It said the government had allowed Hamas to accumulate arms and to raise money for its military wing through Qatar. And it pointed to the government's reluctance to undertake offensive initiatives, including targeting Hamas leaders in Gaza. How quickly General Zini may be able to take over the Shin Bet is unclear. A committee, led by a retired Supreme Court chief justice, must move to approve the prime minister's selection, but that committee is short of several members, so when and whether it will be able to discuss the appointment has yet to be determined. The attorney general's response to the announcement also suggests that Mr. Netanyahu could face more legal resistance. General Zini, who had the task of helping to manage a contentious Israeli military effort to draft members of Israel's ultra-Orthodox community who were previously exempt from military service, made headlines in Israel in January after he was attacked and chased in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak, in central Israel .
