The 189 petitioners had argued that Zini lacked the experience required to lead the agency and that his selection was tainted by conflicts of interest.
The High Court of Justice on Thursday ordered 189 former Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) officials who sought to overturn David Zini's appointment as director of the agency to reveal their identities to him by next Thursday.
The ruling brings the latest dispute arising from one of Israel's most contested security appointments closer to an end.
The names will be given only to Zini and will remain barred from public release.
Zini's appointment was opposed by former Shin Bet directors Nadav Argaman, Ami Ayalon, and Carmi Gillon, and 186 of their former colleagues. Their October petition said having Zini lead the Shin Bet without previous intelligence experience would be a risk to both national security and the agency's independence.
Zini, a retired IDF major-general, was appointed after a turbulent process that began with the government's attempt to dismiss his predecessor, Ronen Bar.
The High Court ruled that Bar's dismissal had been conducted unlawfully, and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a conflict of interest because the Shin Bet was involved in investigating the Qatargate affair in which members of the Prime Minister's Office were involved.
Netanyahu later received approval to advance the appointment of Bar's successor under an agreement reached with the attorney-general and endorsed by the court. The government approved Zini's appointment on September 30, 2025, and he assumed office on October 5.
The former officials filed their petition that same day. They said Zini had never served in an intelligence position and lacked the professional background required to manage an agency responsible for counterterrorism, counterespionage, internal security, and protecting Israel's democratic institutions.
They also said the appointment process had not included a substantive examination of his professional suitability, and that conflicts involving members of his immediate circle could prevent him from handling parts of the agency's work.
The petitioners asked the court to cancel the appointment and require a new selection process. Alternatively, it asked the government to demonstrate that the dominant consideration behind Zini's selection was professional rather than political or personal.
The High Court rejected the challenges to the appointment in December by a 2 to 1 vote. Deputy Supreme Court President Noam Sohlberg and Justice David Mintz found no basis for judicial intervention after the appointment had been approved by the Advisory Committee on Senior Civil Service Appointments and the government.
Mintz rejected the contention that Zini's lack of Shin Bet experience disqualified him, saying senior officials had previously moved between different branches of Israel's security establishment.
Supreme Court President Isaac Amit dissented. He did not call for Zini's appointment to be canceled outright. Instead, he said the advisory committee had failed to adequately examine the circumstances surrounding his selection, Netanyahu's conduct, and the possibility that improper considerations had influenced the process. Amit said he would have returned the appointment to the committee for more examination and a fuller explanation.
The separate battle over the petitioners' identities continued after their substantive case was rejected. They had filed the list of names confidentially and asked that it be available only to the judges.
There was no legal basis for concealing the names from Zini, who was a respondent in the case and held the necessary security clearance, Sohlberg ruled in December.
The court nevertheless suggested that Zini consider waiving his right to see them to ease tensions with former agency personnel who could still assist its work.
The petitioners later maintained that the judgment had recognized Zini's right to inspect the list without expressly ordering them to provide it. Zini disagreed and filed a contempt-of-court motion, seeking enforcement.
On Thursday, Amit, Sohlberg, and Mintz issued an unequivocal new order, requiring the petitioners to provide their names to Zini within seven days.