The Supreme Court on Sunday approved a compromise reached between the government and Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara on the appointment of the next Shin Bet chief.

According to the agreement, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will notify the chairman of the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee of the identity of the candidate [Maj. Gen. (res.) David Zini] he intends to propose for the position within 60 days.

In addition, it was decided that the term of the current acting Shin Bet chief, “S,” will be extended until the new candidate enters the position.

The Shin Bet chief who is appointed will not be involved in any way in the cases known as “QatarGate” and “Bild” until a conflict of interest arrangement is formulated by the Attorney General.

Baharav-Miara had issued a ruling claiming that it is “illegal” for Netanyahu to be involved in the appointment of the next Shin Bet chief. However, a majority of a panel of Supreme Court judges disagreed with Baharav-Miara’s ruling and urged a compromise in order to avoid a judicial decision on the issue.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)