Half a year after David Zini entered the position of Shin Bet Director, Channel 12 published an expose on Sunday examining the institutional and cultural changes the organization underwent under his leadership.
The reports, which were presented as "new discoveries" regarding Zini's conduct, reveal a series of incidents that suggest a shift in the sensitive intelligence organization's approach.
One of the major incidents that arose in the report occurred during Zini's first day on the job. Staff were surprised to discover that the permanent screensaver on their computers, which featured the agency's emblem and motto, "The Unseen Shield," was swapped for a photograph of the Temple Mount.
Some employees were upset by the change, and the image was switched back quickly. According to the explanation sent to the employees, Zini had asked to change only his own screen saver, but a technical error caused the photo to be sent to all the agency's computers.
Another, more significant, operational change concerns the definition of Jewish activity against Palestinian Arabs in Judea and Samaria. According to the report, under Zini, such incidents were classified only as "friction" and not "Jewish terrorism," as was done in the past.
It was also revealed that Zini makes a point of sending his comments on the weekly Torah portion to the heads of departments. Likewise, a source in the organization claimed that the Director recently held a special tour for department heads in Jerusalem, which was held "in the spirit of 1 Samuel."