Mr. David Zini: Messianism Is a Pejorative Term

In his farewell speech, Major General David Zini declared, “We are all messianic.” But messianism is not a symbol of noble values—quite the opposite. It reflects a dangerous conflation of state values with a messianic ideology that sanctifies a single truth and places the leader above the law. History shows us again and again that messianic leaders like Zini led us to the edge of the abyss.

Zini’s comment that “messianism is not a pejorative term” may sound harmless, but it reveals a worldview that is deeply disconnected from reality. By definition, the messianic mindset is not grounded in the here and now – it is tied to utopia. Messianism longs for an external, supernatural redemption that descends from on high rather than arising from human effort.

Worse still, messianism is absolute. The messiah becomes a prophet of unquestionable truth, immune to doubt or scrutiny, just like the belief system he embodies. In his speech, Zini claimed to be mamlachti – a Hebrew term connoting loyalty to the state. But his version of mamlachtiyut is not the one we’ve known. After all, he accepted the nomination for head of the Shin Bet despite knowing it was legally invalid.

This reveals the core of the problem: Zini’s messianic-statist identity doesn’t merely place the state above the law but also elevates the “king”—Benjamin Netanyahu—to the status of a prophet who must not be questioned. From there, it is a short and dangerous step to fundamentalism and even violence, all in the name of a so-called “statist” messianic vision.

Messianic ideologies also tend to rely on an “end-of-days” vision – a final redemption so absolute that any means are justified in reaching it. Moral corruption, harming innocents, and circumventing the law – all become permissible when the end is sanctified. And who suffers first? Anyone who isn’t messianic. Anyone who thinks differently. Anyone willing to compromise – because compromise inevitably comes at the expense of utopia.

In the eyes of the messianic, I am a heretic, a traitor—simply because I am willing to compromise. But the world is not perfect, and efforts to “perfect” it by force—to impose one redemptive “truth”—erase nuance, interpretation, and diversity. Everyone else becomes a traitor to be silenced or hunted.

History is filled with such examples. Sabbateanism and Frankism led to spiritual collapse once their dreams predictably failed. Christian messianism in the Middle Ages resulted in blood-drenched Crusades and the brutality of the Inquisition. Islamic messianism gave rise to Shiite fundamentalism in Iran and the psychotic jihadism of al-Qaeda and ISIS. Even secular messianism, like Soviet communism – a textbook messianic ideology of worldly redemption – brought terror and mass slaughter.

Rabbi Donniel Hartman once said that his most formative line in prayer is: “Even though he may delay, I will still await him.” To that, he added – echoing Yeshayahu Leibowitz: “But if someone tells me the messiah has come – I run.” Why? Because he, too, understood that messianism is dangerous. It does not wait for redemption – it forces redemption, even through violence.

So yes, Mr Zini, messianism is something disgraceful and dangerous – especially your brand of messianism: the Har Hamor variety, fascist by definition. It places the king or prime minister above the law, and the state above its citizens.

As I wrote in my book, “They Stole My Country,” this is not the religious Zionism I know. The true religious Zionism has been my partner, our partner, for decades, in building the state and developing the periphery. Tirat Zvi, Shluhot, Sa’ad, Alumim, Ramat Magshimim, and the moshavim surrounding Gaza represent the real religious Zionism in all its glory. A Zionism that believes in redemption, but puts life at the centre, not the cult of land and death.

I am not a member of “Peace Now.” I am far from being soft or a pushover. I believe in a Jewish and democratic state – forever. And because of that, I know that annexing the Arab population of Judea and Samaria will mean the end of the Jewish state. Coupled with a messianic vision, it will lead to horrific bloodshed and the collapse of both the Zionist dream and the State of Israel.

Jewish history teaches us that those who built and advanced this country were always the pragmatists—people whose beliefs were flexible and who knew how to compromise. Those who brought destruction, time and again, were the messianic: from the Sicarii and the followers of Ben-Yair during the Second Temple period to today’s Smotriches and Zinis, who are dragging us toward disaster with their messianism.

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The writer is a businessman and political adviser who served as Director-General of the Prime Minister’s Office during Yitzhak Rabin’s second term.