An archived 2018 report in Makor Rishon, recirculated Thursday, details a 2008 incident in which then-Lt. Col. Dudi Zini — now Shin Bet director — barred soldiers from erecting makeshift memorial corners for comrades killed in the Battle of Bint Jbeil, arguing the military should focus on the living, not the dead. The resurfaced account adds context to recent controversy over Zini's decision to remove a partial Oct. 7 memorial at Shin Bet HQ.
A 2015 article from Makor Rishon, shared again Thursday on Telegram, recounts an incident from May 2008 involving then-Lt. Col. Dudi Zini — the current Shin Bet director. According to the report, Zini, then a battalion commander, prohibited his soldiers from setting up makeshift memorial corners at the base for comrades killed in the Battle of Bint Jbeil during the Second Lebanon War. Zini was quoted at the time calling the spontaneous memorials a breach of military discipline and arguing that soldiers should "deal with the living, not the dead." The resurfaced account provides context for recent controversy: earlier this week, Zini ordered the removal of a partial memorial corner for Shin Bet operatives killed on October 7 at the agency's headquarters, sparking public debate. As The Zioneer reported (BACKGROUND relation), the agency maintains it has a full memorial wall listing all fallen personnel. The 2008 incident was cited in the original Makor Rishon report as an example of Zini's consistent approach to battlefield commemoration.
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