Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who chairs the Religious Zionist party, responded Wednesday morning to the report that Shin Bet Chief David Zini decided to cancel "Pride Month" events within the agency, expressing support for the move.
Smotrich emphasized that the role of Israel’s security services is to protect the country’s citizens, thwart threats, and defeat its enemies.
"Security system resources should be directed to the core security missions for which they were intended, and only to those," he stressed.
Smotrich also added that public debates on social issues should take place in the political and public spheres, not as part of security agencies' operations, noting, "Security services must remain focused on their professional mission and the heavy security challenges facing the State of Israel."
"I support the head of Shin Bet in his decision to remove progressive agendas from the service, and I am confident he is acting out of professional responsibility and for the sake of national security."
Smotrich also said that if he believed that defense budget funds were being spent on matters not directly related to security missions, he would insist on preventing such spending, and instead "ensure that resources are directed to the purposes for which they were intended."
On Tuesday night, Channel 12 News reported that Zini decided not to approve the holding of an LGBT event on behalf of the agency, to cancel invitations that had been sent out, and to remove signs or symbols that were already being prepared.
The LGBT event, according to sources involved in organizing it, was canceled by an “order from above" without any further explanation.
According to those sources, all of their requests were rejected, including a request to display an LGBT banner on a screen in the Shin Bet building, a request to install a screensaver on computers, a request to hang LGBT flags in the event hall, and a request to use the organization’s systems to distribute designated content.
The report also claimed that Zini is also working to shut down the LGBT forum within the Shin Bet, and the organization’s Human Resources Division has been instructed to transfer the dedicated budget for LGBT-related matters to the general budget.
The Shin Bet did not provide a response to the claims.