Yuval Diskin
Yuval DiskinMiriam Alster/Flash 90

Former Shin Bet head Yuval Diskin today criticized Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. "I know what a coward Bibi is, so I can rest assured he won't go on any adventures," Diskin said at the 70th anniversary conference of The Marker in Tel Aviv.

"I feel the State has lost its direction, has become very populist, devoid of a way, vision, and ideology, and our leadership lacks any personal example. It's sad and disappointing," said the former Shin Bet head, who now heads the cyber-technology company CyMotive Technologies.

Despite the harsh criticism, Diskin made clear his intention not to enter politics in coming years. "I don't see myself joining politics in coming years and there's also nothing to join. On the one side there's the Prime Minister, who everyone thinks is immune and will stay forever and they're apparently right, because on the other side of the political spectrum there's nothing.

"Today, anyone who joins the political system will be changed by it. To change the system, you have to create something new."