Police against Shin Bet chief: "Are there terrorist battalions in the Negev? Where is the information from?"
A senior police officer criticized Shin Bet chief David Zini after his warning at a cabinet meeting about the creation of terrorist infrastructure in Bedouin villages in the Negev. The officer stated that Shin Bet field operatives do not know the basis for this data and accused Zini of unjustifiably sowing panic.
A senior police officer sharply criticized Shin Bet chief David Zini following his speech at the security cabinet meeting on October 5. Zini warned about the emergence of terrorist infrastructure and attempts to establish military battalions in Bedouin villages in the Negev, calling it a "very troubling phenomenon." He also reported a connection between these groups and terrorist organizations, particularly Hamas. The police officer, in a conversation with Ynet on Wednesday, October 7, said that Shin Bet operatives working with the Southern District police have no idea what these statements are based on. "You cannot make such statements and sow panic when none of those on the ground who are supposed to fight this phenomenon know what it is based on," he said. The article also mentions that National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir promised to "restore authority" in the south, but since then crime records have been broken, and arms smuggling, including heavy weapons, continues in thousands of cases.