Israeli prime minister appoints Shin Bet deputy as acting chief

By Abdelraouf Arnaout and Rania Abu Shamala

JERUSALEM /ISTANBUL (AA) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday appointed the deputy head of the Shin Bet internal security agency as acting chief for one month, pending the completion of procedures to appoint David Zini as the agency’s permanent head.

“The deputy chief will fill this role until the completion of Maj.-Gen. David Zini’s appointment process, or within a month, whichever should come first,” a source in Netanyahu’s office said.

Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara confirmed the appointment of “S” in a letter published the same day, the source added.

Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar had earlier announced his resignation, effective Sunday, due to disagreements with Netanyahu.

In May, Netanyahu announced the appointment of Zini to replace Bar, a move the Israeli Supreme Court deemed unlawful, triggering public protests and strong criticism from the opposition.

On June 6, Zini concluded his service in the Israeli army in preparation to assume leadership of the Shin Bet, pending approval by the relevant Israeli committees and government.

An Israeli committee is expected to review the appointment before the government gives final approval. No specific timeline, however, has been announced.