Zini recommends banned extreme-right party be allowed to register for elections

High Court allows delay for hearing on ‘Yisrael Yehudit Shlema Ve’eitana,’ a Kahanist offshoot party; senior Shin Bet figures said to disagree with agency chief, deputy

Shin Bet chief David Zini issued an official recommendation to the High Court of Justice on Monday, calling for the reversal of the disqualification from elections of an extreme-right, Kahanist political party, despite a contrary recommendation from senior officials in the security agency.

Following Zini’s letter, the court canceled a hearing scheduled for Tuesday on the registration of the “Yisrael Yehudit Shlema Ve’eitana” movement as a legal political party.

The movement’s name translates roughly as “A Jewish Israel, Whole and Strong,” and the party’s founders are former activists in the extreme-right Kach movement, founded by the late extremist rabbi Meir Kahane, which was outlawed as a terror group in 1994.

According to Haaretz, the longstanding and current position of most senior Shin Bet figures is that the movement should be disqualified as it promotes racism and support for terrorism, but Zini, the agency’s new chief, and his deputy believe otherwise.

The agency position, as shared in Hebrew media in 2024, is that the movement’s leaders “still maintain the [Kahanist] ideology and are working to spread it” while seeking to promote through the new party “the ideology of a terrorist organization.”

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But Zini and his deputy have pushed to clear the way for the party to register ahead of this year’s elections, which are set for October 27. Last week, Zini asked the court to delay its hearing for two weeks in order “to examine the validity and relevance of the intelligence information presented by the Shin Bet in this matter.”

Following Zini’s letter sent to the court on Monday, that delay was granted, though it was unclear how much time the court allowed.

According to the Shin Bet, the Yisrael Yehudit Shlema Ve’eitana movement was founded by activists who split off from Otzma Yehudit, the far-right Knesset party led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

Otzma Yehudit members have described themselves as disciples of the late extremist rabbi Meir Kahane and his Kach movement. Ben Gvir did so for decades and has spoken at the Kach founder’s memorial events, but now says he no longer agrees with some of Kahane’s most extremist statements.

Zini, who Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once described as “too messianic” before nominating him to lead Israel’s internal security agency, has made a string of controversial decisions since entering the role in October 2025, sparking backlash from within the agency and from opposition figures.

He sparked fresh ire last week, after saying that he accepted the role of Shin Bet chief because of his ability to be “loyal to the elected leadership,” while declaring that he brings his own agenda to the position and slamming Israel’s legal system.

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