By: Ariella Haviv

In what increasingly appears to be a politically motivated campaign driven by Israel’s radical secular elite, David Zini, a decorated combat commander and the current head of the IDF’s General Staff Corps, has found himself at the center of a storm—not because of any failure in his record, but because of the kippah on his head. As Israeli media sources have repeatedly noted, Zini’s candidacy for the top position in the Shin Bet has drawn an avalanche of criticism from academic institutions, left-leaning politicians, and anti-religious protest movements who seem determined to block any ascent of a visibly religious figure into the upper echelons of Israel’s security establishment.

Zini, a man with a military record that spans decades of frontline service, including pivotal operations during the October 7 massacre, where he left his home in the Golan Heights to fight Hamas terrorists in Mefalsim, was hailed by many as a national hero. His operational achievements and leadership acumen are not in dispute. Yet, within hours of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announcing Zini as the top candidate to succeed Ronen Bar as head of the Shin Bet, the character assassinations began.

As reported by Israeli media outlets, members of the Kaplan protest movement, opposition politicians, and academics have launched a campaign that has little to do with Zini’s professional qualifications and everything to do with his religious identity. MK Naama Lazimi branded him “dangerous and messianic.” Former Defense Minister Moshe “Bogie” Ya’alon suggested that Zini’s religious affiliations disqualify him not only from this post—but retroactively from his military career itself, stating that perhaps he “wasn’t fit to be a general.”

Even Opposition Leader Yair Lapid joined the pile-on, not questioning Zini’s credentials but calling for him to refuse the appointment until the Supreme Court rules on its legality—a position deeply saturated in political opportunism rather than national interest. According to Lapid, “Netanyahu is entangled in a serious conflict of interest,” and Zini should wait. In truth, the conflict lies between Israel’s secular political establishment and the growing presence of religious Zionists in positions of national authority.

The secular elite’s panic is perhaps best embodied in the response of academia. Dr. Assaf Sti Elbar of Beit Berl College publicly decried what he called a “Hardal (ultra-Orthodox nationalist) takeover” of the IDF. His comments were echoed by faculty members at Tel Aviv University, including the head of the Philosophy Department, who warned of a “messianic infiltration” of the Shin Bet. Professor Ariel Porat, president of the university, went so far as to threaten to shut down the university and the economy as a form of protest should Zini’s appointment move forward.

As Israeli media sources have noted, this is not merely an isolated outcry—it is part of a coordinated ideological offensive designed to ensure that key security roles remain the domain of secular, left-leaning elites. The religious identity of Zini, rather than any substantive concern about policy or security, has become the focal point of a vicious witch hunt. Even his large family—he is a father of 11—has been twisted into a weapon against him by opinion writers at Haaretz, who have made a pastime of sneering at traditional family structures when they belong to religious Jews.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was one of the few voices in government to respond with clarity and courage, defending Zini as “the right man to rebuild the Shin Bet” at a moment when Israeli national security faces grave external and internal threats. He called Netanyahu’s nomination of Zini a “first-class leadership decision.” His words, as reported in Israeli media, resonate with a large swath of the public that views this secular backlash as not only unjust, but dangerously divisive.

The hypocrisy of the Kaplan protest movement could not be more glaring. On the one hand, they demand the drafting of Haredim (ultra-Orthodox Jews) into the IDF. On the other hand, when an exemplary religious Zionist officer like Zini is offered a top role in national security, they decry it as evidence of religious infiltration. What they seem to want is submission, not inclusion—a military in which religious Jews serve only on their terms.

This is not the first time that religious officers have come under fire from secular ideologues. As Israeli media has highlighted, Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa, head of the IDF’s Human Resources Directorate, was also targeted by Kaplan figures, including Ayelet HaShachar Seidov, who accused him of being politically motivated and seeking to “preserve the government” by promoting religious officers.

Likewise, Prof. Yagil Levy of the Open University, a longtime critic of religious influence in the IDF, claimed the rise of kippah-wearing soldiers represents a dangerous shift in Israel’s defense apparatus. But for millions of Israelis, these claims reflect fear-mongering and institutional elitism, not facts.

The attempt to derail David Zini’s appointment is not about maintaining security integrity—it is about preserving a monopoly on power. The gatekeepers of Israel’s academic and political institutions have made it clear: if you wear a kippah and speak the language of faith, your loyalty will be suspect, your competence undermined, and your patriotism questioned.

Zini’s candidacy offers a test—not just of one man’s right to serve his country at the highest level, but of whether Israel remains a society where religious belief is respected, or reviled. The shameful campaign against him, as documented repeatedly by Israeli media, is nothing short of a secular inquisition, and the outcome will shape the very soul of Israel’s democratic and pluralistic ideals.