Latest news with #Zini
The Citizen
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
Get ready for Zini's annual Art in the Shade extravaganza
Get ready for Zini's annual Art in the Shade extravaganza The date has been set for Mtunzini's 9th annual Art in the Shade – Friday, 26 to Sunday, 28 September. This year's Mtunzini Rotary Club fundraising project will have a carnival theme, and is set to be hosted at Mtunzini Primary School. Friday's focus will be on the visual arts displayed in the school hall, while the Saturday will be Carnival Day with a beer tent, food hall, craft stalls, art workshops, educational talks, live music, and big screen rugby. Sunday will be a chance to buy the art you've been eyeing the whole weekend, and to enjoy a tea garden with the 'Great Zini Bake-off'. For more information, contact Karin on 072 8608741. Watch snippets from last year's Art in the Shade: Don't have the ZO app? Download it to your Android or Apple device here: HAVE YOUR SAY Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. For news straight to your phone invite us: WhatsApp – 060 784 2695 Instagram – zululand_observer At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The National
08-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
David Pratt: Israel's arming of Gaza's crime gangs is sure to backfire
Speaking at his military farewell ceremony last week before taking up his new post, Zini it seems was keen to point out that messianism, far from being a dirty word, is in fact what underpins today's Israel. 'We are all messianic – like David Ben-Gurion and the founding fathers of the nation, who saw in our people's grand vision a message for the entire world,' the new domestic spy chief told his audience. Israel by its deeds and actions has never been shy of sending out messages to the rest of the world – especially militarily. More often than not, they have not gone down well, especially in relation to its actions in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and subjugation of the Palestinians. READ MORE: Freedom Flotilla urges UK Government to 'protect' ship from Israel as it nears Gaza Last week was no exception, with reports surfacing of what could best be described to say the least as a controversial strategy in Israel's efforts to defeat Hamas. In short, over the course of these past months Israel has been arming criminal gangs that loot aid convoys and are led by a known thief and drug trafficker with links to the terrorist Islamic State group (ISIS). The Shin Bet, which Zini is about to head up, has it seems been at the forefront of such a strategy and under his leadership few doubt things will change. Why should they change, ask critics, when the man who appointed him, Netanyahu, appears only too happy to confirm the measures? 'Israel is working to defeat Hamas in various ways, on the recommendation of all heads of the security establishment,' Netanyahu's office declared last week as the reports surfaced. Hours later Netanyahu himself doubled down on the statement, his tone almost one of nonchalance and disregard. 'We made use of clans in Gaza that are opposed to Hamas … What's wrong with that?' Netanyahu said in a video posted on Twitter/X. 'It's only good. It saves the lives of Israeli soldiers,' he then added. But according to some observers, both inside Israel itself and beyond, there is a lot to be concerned about regarding such a strategy. Among those Israeli voices condemning the policy was former Israeli defence minister Avigdor Lieberman, now leader of Israel's right-wing opposition Yisrael Beiteinu party. 'The Israeli government is giving weapons to a group of criminals and felons, identified with Islamic State, at the direction of the prime minister ... it's total madness,' Lieberman said in a radio interview, while also adding that Shin Bet was aware of the weapons transfers. Lieberman's concerns are based primarily on the fact that with no way of monitoring or following where such weapons end up, there is no guarantee they will not be directed at Israel It's a view shared by many. But it's not just Israelis that would be on the receiving end of such a policy and already Palestinians in Gaza are feeling its brutal impact. So just who are these 'clans', as Netanyahu calls them, what are their origins and how is their presence affecting the lives of Gazans and threatening the future of the territory? The first thing to realise here is that ever since the early days of the current conflict in Gaza – which started after Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack – the Shin Bet along with other Israeli intelligence officials have worked hard to identify and support potential Palestinian rivals to undermine Hamas. Among those identified was an armed gang led by a man named Yasser Abu Shabab, a thief and drug trafficker from the southern Gaza town of Rafah. Some reports suggest that Abu Shabab was previously jailed by Hamas for smuggling drugs, and that his brother was killed by Hamas when the group cracked down on attacks on UN aid convoys. Abu Shabab is descended from the influential Bedouin Tarabin clan, which spans southern Gaza, the Sinai, and the Naqab Desert. The area between Gaza and Sinai is known for drug smuggling and Abu Shabab's group has previously been accused of involvement in smuggling operations linked to Egyptian jihadi groups, hence Avigdor Lieberman's claims of his connection to ISIS which has a presence in the area and is known to be involved in the drug networks. Calling itself both the 'Anti-Terror Service' or 'Popular Forces', Abu Shabab's group is believed to comprise a relatively small number of members, perhaps in the hundreds. But despite its diminutive size, Israel saw it as an opportunity to help undermine Hamas. It's incorporation into such a strategy, say analysts, also underscored Netanyahu's uncertainty on who should take over the future administration of Gaza. 'If you think about who really can be an alternative to Hamas in Gaza, you have two options: either an Israeli military administration or the Palestinian Authority,' said Brigadier General Shlomo Brom, a former top Israeli military strategist, now retired. Speaking to the New York Times (NYT), Brom explained how Netanyahu does not want either because a full occupation of Gaza would be costly, financially and politically, for Israel. On the other hand, engaging with the Palestinian Authority (PA), Brom said, would probably require a discussion about a Palestinian state, a prospect opposed by leading members of the Israeli government 'So they're looking for other solutions,' Brom was cited by the NYT as saying, describing the options as 'dubious'. READ MORE: UK won't recognise Palestine at UN conference despite 'discussions', reports say Late last year, these 'dubious' options came in the shape of Abu Shabab's gang. Eyewitnesses in Gaza often described how the gang sets up berms to waylay aid convoys along the Israeli-controlled route from Kerem Shalom, where they waited with Kalashnikovs and other weapons. Georgios Petropoulos, a senior United Nations official who was based in Gaza last year, called Abu Shabab 'the self-styled power broker of east Rafah'. One internal United Nations memo seen by The Washington Post concluded that the gangs 'may be benefiting from a passive if not active benevolence' or 'protection' from the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). One gang leader, the memo said, established a 'military-like compound' in an area 'restricted, controlled and patrolled by the IDF'. That leader was Abu Shabab. Throughout this time, Israeli, Palestinian and international observers have insisted that the gang's activity could simply not operate without the awareness of the IDF. 'There is no chance an armed militia or clan can work out in the open like this without Israel's agreement, and definitely not in Rafah,' said Michael Milshtein, a former senior Israeli military intelligence officer, in an interview with the Financial Times ( FT). Following last week's admission from Netanyahu that Israel was arming Abu Shabab's gang, the official page of the 'Popular Forces' media office issued a statement continuing to deny any connection with the Israeli army. 'We wholly reject these allegations,' the statement read. 'We regard this as a blatant attempt at distorting the image of a popular force that was born out of suffering and in the face of oppression, theft and corruption.' But as the specialist Middle East website Mondoweiss highlighted in an online article last Friday, 'analysts have continued to point out that Abu Shabab's carefully curated social media presence, with the appearance of statements in both English and Arabic, is beyond the capabilities of the Gaza gang and is likely the work of the Shin Bet'. In a video posted last Wednesday, Abu Shabab can be heard calling on people from eastern Rafah to return to their homes, saying that food, medicine and shelter would be provided. The footage features images of several tents that appeared to have been erected in the area. Mondoweiss also cited Muhammad Shehada, a writer and civil society activist from Gaza, as saying that today Abu Shabab 'works in his new capacity as the head of his rebranded 'national force' of gang members to loot aid under the Israeli military's protection, carry out surveillance of resistance forces on its behalf and secure aid going to the murky US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF), which is the US contractor tasked with delivering aid to Palestinians instead of the UN'. Israel has sought to overhaul aid distribution, backing the controversial GHF private scheme to hand out aid under the supervision of security contractors and Israeli soldiers. The Israelis insist the new system is vital to ensure Hamas is unable to benefit from aid that would help support its continued resistance. But UN officials and others have refused to participate in the scheme, calling it a 'weaponisation' of aid and saying they have not seen evidence of systematic diversion by Hamas. In fact, Hamas itself has now upped its crackdown on Abu Shabab's gangs. In its recent coverage, Mondoweiss detailed how Hamas has set up what has been dubbed the Arrow Unit. The unit was first formed over a year ago in March 2024, when the phenomenon of looting by armed gangs began to spread throughout Gaza and began as informal groups of young men. Abu Hadi, a member of the Arrow Unit who is also an officer in the Gaza police force, told Mondoweiss that he decided to join the unit after 'witnessing thieves robbing food stores and international kitchens, without concern for the people's hunger'. Since then, the Arrow Unit has conducted operations going head on with Abu Shabab's gangs who Hamas identifies as collaborators with the Israelis. In last Wednesday's video by Abu Shabab, he can be heard saying that that the 'Popular Forces' are working under 'Palestinian legitimacy', a phrase that Palestinian Authority (PA) leaders often use to refer to their government. The Palestinian Authority, the West Bank-based rival of Hamas, has declined to comment on reports of connections between Abu Shabab and its government, yet another reminder of the power vacuum that exists in Gaza. READ MORE: Israeli forces kill six Palestinians near Gaza aid site The obvious threat posed to Gazans aside, Israel's attempts to exploit this security vacuum it created by backing Abu Shabab's gangs as an alternative to Hamas rule is a tactic not without precedent. Always in the past too, this has only served to make an already dire situation in Gaza even worse. Critics of Israel's policy say what is unfolding on the ground in this collaboration between Shin Bet, the IDF and the gangs points to a nefarious longer-term scheme, used to push Israel's starvation, ethnic cleansing and genocide policies. They remind also of the danger of creating a Frankenstein monster type militia in the region. Last week, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid responded to the claim that Israel is arming Abu Shabab with a warning that it could see a repeat of a grim history for the country. He reminded that for decades, including multiple terms in office for Netanyahu, Israel allowed Hamas to grow as a counter to rivals Fatah, allowing Hamas to entrench its control in Gaza. It was seen as a cynical bid to prevent a unified Palestinian leadership from taking hold in Gaza and the much larger territory of the West Bank. 'After Netanyahu finished giving millions of dollars to Hamas, he moved on to giving weapons to organisations close to ISIS in Gaza, all off the cuff, all without strategic planning, all leading to more disasters,' Lapid warned on social media. His views were echoed by a recent editorial in the Israeli daily Haaretz. 'Instead of any serious discussion about reconstruction and the enclave's future, Netanyahu is advancing a messianic vision that includes crimes against humanity in the form of ethnic cleansing and population transfer,' observed the newspaper. In advancing that 'messianic vision', Israel's arming of gangs in Gaza will doubtless go on. Netanyahu after all now has his chosen head of Shin Bet, David Zini, to implement that vision, and he too by his own admission is 'messianic'.
The Herald Scotland
08-06-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Israel's arming Gaza's crime gangs is certain to backfire disastrously
Speaking at his military farewell ceremony last week before taking up his new post, Zini it seems was keen to point out that messianism, far from being a dirty word, is in fact what underpins today's Israel. 'We are all messianic -like David Ben-Gurion and the founding fathers of the nation, who saw in our people's grand vision a message for the entire world,' the new domestic spy chief told his audience. Israel by its deeds and actions has never been shy of sending out messages to the rest of the world - especially militarily. More often than not they have not gone down well, especially in relation to its actions in Gaza the occupied West Bank and subjugation of the Palestinians. Last week was no exception, with reports surfacing of what could best be described to say the least as a controversial strategy in Israel's efforts to defeat Hamas. In short, over the course of these past months Israel has been arming criminal gangs that loot aid convoys and are led by a known thief and drug trafficker with links to the terrorist Islamic State group (ISIS). The Shin Bet, which Zini is about to head up, has it seems been at the forefront of such a strategy and under his leadership few doubt things will change. Why should they change ask critics, when the man who appointed him, Netanyahu, appears only too happy to confirm the measures? 'Israel is working to defeat Hamas in various ways, on the recommendation of all heads of the security establishment,' Netanyahu's office declared last week as the reports surfaced. Hours later Netanyahu himself doubled down on the statement his tone almost one of nonchalance and disregard. 'We made use of clans in Gaza that are opposed to Hamas… What's wrong with that?' Netanyahu said in a video posted on X. "It's only good. It saves the lives of Israeli soldiers,' he then added. But according to some observers, both inside Israel itself and beyond, there is a lot to be concerned about regarding such a strategy. Trucks carrying aid wait in front of the Rafah border crossing on March 2, 2025 in Rafah, Egypt Policy condemned Among those Israeli voices condemning the policy was former Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman now leader of Israel's right-wing opposition Yisrael Beiteibu party. 'The Israeli government is giving weapons to a group of criminals and felons, identified with Islamic State, at the direction of the prime minister…it's total madness,' Lieberman said in a radio interview, while also adding that Shin Bet were aware of the weapons transfers. Lieberman's concerns are based primarily on the fact that with no way of monitoring or following where such weapons end up, there is no guarantee they will not be directed at Israel It's a view shared by many. But it's not just Israelis that would be on the receiving end of such a policy and already Palestinians in Gaza are feeling its brutal impact. READ MORE: 'Stakes could not be higher' Poland's election is a pivotal moment for all of Europe Is it actually possible for Ukraine to ever secure a just peace? Soldiers of fortune: Exposing the privatisation and profiteering of Palestinian pain Trump's sledgehammer politics are wreaking havoc in every sphere both home and away So just who are these 'clans' as Netanyahu, calls them, what are their origins and how is their presence affecting the lives of Gazans and threatening the future of the territory? The first thing to realise here is that ever since the early days of the current conflict in Gaza, - which started after Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack - the Shin Bet along with other Israeli intelligence officials have worked hard to identify and support potential Palestinian rivals to undermine Hamas. Among those identified was an armed gang led by a man named Yasser Abu Shabab, a thief and drug trafficker from the southern Gaza town of Rafah. Some reports suggest that Abu Shabab was previously jailed by Hamas for smuggling drugs, and that his brother was killed by Hamas when the group cracked down on attacks on UN aid convoys. Abu Shabab is descended from the influential Bedouin Tarabin clan, which spans southern Gaza, the Sinai, and the Naqab Desert. The area between Gaza and Sinai is known for drug smuggling and Abu Shabab's group has previously been accused of involvement in smuggling operations linked to Egyptian jihadi groups, hence Avigdor Lieberman's claims of his connection to ISIS which has a presence in the area and is known to be involved in the drug networks. Calling itself both the 'Anti-Terror Service or 'Popular Forces,' Abu Shabab's group, is believed to comprise a relatively small number of members, perhaps in the hundreds. But despite its diminutive size Israel saw it as an opportunity to help undermine Hamas. It's incorporation into such a strategy say analysts also underscored Netanyahu's uncertainty on who should take over the future administration of Gaza. 'If you think about who really can be an alternative to Hamas in Gaza, you have two options: either an Israeli military administration or the Palestinian Authority,' said Brig. Gen. Shlomo Brom, a former top Israeli military strategist, now retired. Speaking to the New York Times (NYT) Brom explained how Netanyahu does not want either because a full occupation of Gaza would be costly, financially and politically, for Israel. People carry their sacks of flour distributed by charities in Khan Yunis, Gaza, where there is a food crisis due to Israeli attacks on May 31, 2025 Prospect opposed On the other hand, engaging with the Palestinian Authority (PA), Brom said, would probably require a discussion about a Palestinian state, a prospect opposed by leading members of the Israeli government 'So they're looking for other solutions,' Brom was cited by the NYT as saying, describing the options as 'dubious.' Late last year these 'dubious' options came in the shape of Abu Shabab's gang. Eyewitnesses in Gaza often described how the gang sets up berms to waylay aid convoys along the Israeli-controlled route from Kerem Shalom, where they waited with Kalashnikovs and other weapons. Georgios Petropoulos, a senior United Nations official who was based in Gaza last year, called Abu Shabab 'the self-styled power broker of east Rafah.' One internal United Nations memo seen by The Washington Post concluded that the gangs 'may be benefiting from a passive if not active benevolence' or 'protection' from the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). One gang leader, the memo said, established a 'military like compound' in an area 'restricted, controlled and patrolled by the IDF.' That leader was Abu Shabab. Throughout this time Israeli, Palestinian and international observers have insisted that the gang's activity could simply not operate without the awareness of the IDF. 'There is no chance an armed militia or clan can work out in the open like this without Israel's agreement, and definitely not in Rafah,' said Michael Milshtein, a former senior Israeli military intelligence officer, in an interview with the Financial Times ( FT). Following last week's admission from Netanyahu that Israel was arming Abu Shabab's gang, the official page of the 'Popular Forces' media office, issued a statement continuing to deny any connection with the Israeli army. 'We wholly reject these allegations,' the statement read. 'We regard this as a blatant attempt at distorting the image of a popular force that was born out of suffering and in the face of oppression, theft, and corruption.' But as the specialist Middle East website Mondoweiss, highlighted in an online article last Friday, 'analysts have continued to point out that Abu Shabab's carefully curated social media presence, with the appearance of statements in both English and Arabic, is beyond the capabilities of the Gaza gang and is likely the work of the Shin Bet.' In a video posted last Wednesday, Abu Shabab can be heard calling on people from eastern Rafah to return to their homes, saying that food, medicine and shelter would be provided. The footage features images of several tents that appeared to have been erected in the area. Mondoweiss also cited Muhammad Shehadeh, a writer and civil society activist from Gaza, as saying that today Abu Shabab 'works in his new capacity as the head of his rebranded 'national force' of gang members to loot aid under the Israeli military's protection, carry out surveillance of resistance forces on its behalf, and secure aid going to the murky US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF), which is the US contractor tasked with delivering aid to Palestinians instead of the UN. Palestinian boys carry pots as the queue at a hot meal distribution point in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip, June 4, 2025 Handing out aid Israel has sought to overhaul aid distribution, backing the controversial GHF private scheme to hand out aid under the supervision of security contractors and Israeli soldiers. The Israelis insist the new system is vital to ensure Hamas is unable to benefit from aid that would help support its continued resistance. But UN officials and others have refused to participate in the scheme, calling it a 'weaponisation' of aid and saying they have not seen evidence of systematic diversion by Hamas. In fact Hamas itself has now upped its crackdown on Abu Shabab's gangs. In its recent coverage, Mondoweiss detailed how Hamas has set up what has been dubbed the Arrow Unit. The unit was first formed over a year ago in March 2024, when the phenomenon of looting by armed gangs began to spread throughout Gaza and began as informal groups of young men. Abu Hadi, a member of the Arrow Unit who is also an officer in the Gaza police force, told Mondoweiss that he decided to join the unit after 'witnessing thieves robbing food stores and international kitchens, without concern for the people's hunger.' Since then the Arrow Unit has conducted operations going head on with Abu Shabab's gangs who Hamas identifies as collaborators with the Israelis. In last Wednesday's video by Abu Shabab, he can be heard saying that that the 'Popular Forces' are working under 'Palestinian legitimacy,' a phrase that Palestinian Authority (PA) leaders often use to refer to their government. The Palestinian Authority, the West Bank-based rival of Hamas, has declined to comment on reports of connections between Abu Shabab and its government, yet another reminder of the power vacuum that exists in Gaza. The obvious threat posed to Gazans aside, Israel's attempts to exploit this security vacuum it created by backing Abu Shabab's gangs as an alternative to Hamas rule is a tactic not without precedent. Always in the past too, this has only served to make an already dire situation in Gaza even worse. Critics of Israel's policy say what is unfolding on the ground in this collaboration between Shin Bet, the IDF and the gangs points to a nefarious longer term scheme, used to push Israel's starvation, ethnic cleansing and genocide policies. They remind also of the danger of creating a Frankenstein monster type militia in the region. Larger territory Last week Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid responded to the claim that Israel is arming Abu Shabab with a warning that it could see a repeat of a grim history for the country. He reminded that for decades, including multiple terms in office for Netanyahu, Israel allowed Hamas to grow as a counter to rivals Fatah, allowing Hamas to entrench its control in Gaza. It was seen as a cynical bid to prevent a unified Palestinian leadership from taking hold in Gaza and the much larger territory of the West Bank. "After Netanyahu finished giving millions of dollars to Hamas, he moved on to giving weapons to organisations close to ISIS in Gaza, all off the cuff, all without strategic planning, all leading to more disasters,' Lapid warned on social media. His views were echoed by a recent editorial in the Israeli daily Haaretz. 'Instead of any serious discussion about reconstruction and the enclave's future, Netanyahu is advancing a messianic vision that includes crimes against humanity in the form of ethnic cleansing and population transfer,' observed the newspaper. In advancing that 'messianic vision' Israel's arming of gangs in Gaza will doubtless go on. Netanyahu after all now has his chosen head of Shin Bet, David Zini, to implement that vision, and he too by his own admission is "messianic".
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
A-G: Zini appointment illegitimate due to PM conflict of interest
'Your appointment of Zini, which was made under a conflict of interests and with a complete disregard to the legal instructions attached, is null and illegal,' the A-G wrote. The appointment of IDF Maj.-Gen. David Zini as the new head of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is impossible, as Netanyahu is in a conflict of interests, due to the agency's investigation of Qatari connections to his confidantes, Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara wrote in a letter on Monday. She added that her legal opinion is based on the High Court of Justice ruling issued on the matter last week, along with the evidence presented. 'Your appointment of Zini, which was made under a conflict of interest, and with a complete disregard for the legal instructions attached, is null and illegal,' she wrote. The HCJ ruling, issued last week, stated that Netanyahu stands in a conflict of interest when it comes to this appointment and that he should not have been involved in it at all. Baharav-Miara wrote to the prime minister soon after, advising him of the same. One day later, on Thursday, reports emerged of Zini's appointment. Deputy Attorney-General Gil Limon noted in a legal opinion penned on Monday that the implication of the ruling is that Netanyahu is not to deal, directly or indirectly, with any part of the process still to come, at least until the agency's investigations are completed. The most sound and logical next step is to transfer the responsibility to a different minister, who will then present the suggested appointment to the government, Limon wrote. The fear is that this minister would be used as the 'long arm' of Netanyahu, and as such, go against the ruling and make the appointment political. Limon wrote that there are two legal implications to this: first, that the search process for a candidate begin anew from scratch so as to ensure it is above suspicion; second, that it is unlikely that Zini's appointment is sound, given the widespread support it has in the coalition. According to Limon, the integrity of Zini's appointment by any other minister had possibly been compromised after Government Secretary Yossi Fuchs read out a statement at the government's meeting on Monday saying that it 'welcomed the prime minister's intention to appoint Major General David Zini as the head of the Shin Bet.' In his statement, Fuchs also 'calls on all relevant parties to remove obstacles and expedite the process for approving this appointment, which is essential for Israel's security,' and 'emphasizes the importance of appointing a permanent Shin Bet chief during wartime and urges against settling for an interim appointment.' The statement indicated that no government minister would be able to argue they had chosen Zini after a credible appointment procedure, Limon reasoned. Limon wrote that the process should be started from scratch and that the designated minister should seek out the appointments himself, without any foreign input, so as to keep the process clean. He added that the whole affair should be accompanied by the legal advisory and that every appointment should come with a clear and detailed explanation as to why this person is a good fit. This information would be presented to the Advisory Committee on Senior Civil Service Appointments, which would examine the appointment thoroughly. 'Given the current security situation, it is paramount to appoint an intelligence chief as soon as possible – before Ronen Bar leaves on June 15. An appointment made while in a conflict of interest harms this objective,' he wrote. The Shin Bet, along with Israel Police, is investigating two cases of alleged Qatari influences on close confidants of the prime minister. Netanyahu aide Yonatan Urich and former Prime Minister's Office military spokesman Eli Feldstein were investigated for Qatari ties made in efforts by the Gulf state to improve its image. Limon wrote that Bar was personally involved in these investigations. In the Qatargate case, allegedly, news tips given to journalists were presented as being sourced from intelligence figures when, in reality, they were sourced in Qatar. This was reportedly done to boost Qatar's image in its mediator role in the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal agreements and to downplay Egypt's role. Qatar has denied any action of the sort. In the other case, the 'leaked documents affair,' Feldstein was investigated for allegedly leaking classified military documents to the German daily Bild after they were denied publication by the Israeli military censor. The documents were eventually published, allegedly to sway public opinion on the hostage negotiations. Quoting from the ruling, Limon wrote that Netanyahu effectively admitted his conflict of interest in this case by calling the investigations 'baseless' and 'fake.' The court stood strong on the connection between the relatively sudden push to fire Bar and the Qatari investigations.
Daily News Egypt
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily News Egypt
Netanyahu's Madness: Playing with Fire and Hurtling Toward Nuclear Catastrophe in Gaza
What is unfolding within the Israeli entity today can no longer be dismissed as a domestic or sovereign matter, despite the claims of its extremist government. Over just two days — May 22 and 23, 2025 — Israel has seen an extraordinary escalation across political, security, and judicial arenas. This crisis lays bare the fragility of its political system and reveals the extent of polarization and authoritarianism driven by Benjamin Netanyahu. The appointment of retired Major General David Zini as head of the General Security Service (Shin Bet) is not merely an administrative shift. It is a direct affront to the judicial establishment — long touted by Israel as a democratic pillar — and a calculated strike against its own military and security institutions. Netanyahu, now fighting for political survival rather than the security of his entity, has pushed Zini into this key role despite significant opposition from Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and warnings from the Supreme Court of 'a blatant conflict of interest' and 'a flagrant violation of the law.' The Court also deemed the dismissal of former chief Ronen Bar unjustifiable. Yet Netanyahu pressed forward, exposing his disregard for the last vestiges of institutional order. Zini, born in Jerusalem in 1974, is a veteran of elite units like Sayeret Matkal and Egoz and once led the Commando Brigade. But his intelligence background is thin — raising grave concerns about the rationale for his appointment. In Israeli circles, there is little doubt that personal loyalty to Netanyahu and his family — particularly his wife, Sara — outweighed professional merit. Maariv reported Sara Netanyahu's lobbying for Zini's elevation, while journalist Shoval called the move part of a broader effort to 'domesticate' Israel's security bodies in service of a far-right agenda. The military establishment was blindsided. The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation revealed that Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi was informed just three minutes before the official announcement — a slight that underscores the civilian leadership's contempt for military protocols. Opposition figures sounded the alarm. Yair Lapid urged Zini to decline the post until a final court ruling, citing 'a dangerous conflict of interest.' Benny Gantz described the decision as 'a transgression of all red lines' and a 'threat to the rule of law.' Protests erupted in Tel Aviv and beyond, with demonstrators decrying the 'politicization of Shin Bet' and its transformation into a tool for Netanyahu and the fascist right, led by Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir. Meanwhile, a development of equally grave concern occurred in the United States. On May 23, 2025, Republican Congressman Randy Fine made incendiary remarks on Fox News, openly calling for the nuclear bombing of Gaza. He invoked the US attacks on Japan in World War II and advocated for the Palestinians' 'unconditional surrender' through nuclear force. These are not isolated outbursts. They reflect a dangerous alignment between Netanyahu's government and the US far-right, emboldened by support from powerful segments of the American Jewish lobby. This backing enables Israeli leaders to commit war crimes against Palestinian civilians under the cover of international silence. Within Israel, some political and military figures are beginning to sound the alarm. They warn that this extremist nexus — between Netanyahu and radical voices in the US Congress — could spark a catastrophe in Gaza and across the region. Congressman Fine's statement coincides with the ongoing Israeli military operation 'Gideon's Chariots,' a campaign that risks expanding into a regional war, especially if Netanyahu chooses escalation over a prisoner exchange. This is no longer a simple government-opposition standoff. It is a systemic crisis, threatening the cohesion of the Israeli entity itself. Netanyahu's goal appears to be the total monopolization of the security and judicial apparatus — turning these institutions into puppets serving his political survival. This is not an internal matter. It is a threat to regional stability and global security. Only the deluded believe that bombing Gaza or undermining Shin Bet will remain confined to Palestine. Netanyahu's recklessness — amplified by the derangement of figures like Randy Fine — risks igniting a conflagration with consequences well beyond the region. The specter of World War-level devastation looms, born from the same political madness that once drove the world into catastrophe. Silence is no longer an option. The international community — led by the United Nations Security Council and the International Criminal Court — must intervene with resolve. We must make clear: those who threaten to annihilate a nation, destabilize a region, and flirt with nuclear warfare are not legitimate political actors — they are war criminals who must be held to account. To let Netanyahu and his allies persist is to sign a global pact with chaos. The world must act now — or be complicit in what comes next. Dr. Marwa El-Shinawy – Academic and Writer
