Netanyahu's Appointments and Policy Shifts Alter Israeli Intelligence Agencies (warontherocks.com)

• Shin Bet chief David Zini provided assessments favorable to Netanyahu's trial delay and death penalty law.
• Mossad director David Barnea replaced by Roman Gofman, a hardliner without intelligence background.
• Lack of public intelligence dissent on Iran war and reduced prioritization of West Bank extremist violence.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has replaced the heads of Shin Bet and Mossad with loyalists. Shin Bet chief David Zini provided assessments that aligned with Netanyahu's interests, including postponing his corruption trial and supporting the death penalty for terrorists. Mossad director David Barnea was replaced by Roman Gofman, a hardliner with no prior intelligence experience. This has eroded the non-partisan ethos of Israeli intelligence, reducing its independence and increasing the risk of strategic failures."