Report: After earlier refusals, Shin Bet to provide security for Yashar’s Gadi Eisenkot

The Shin Bet has agreed to provide security coverage for Yashar party chair Gadi Eisenkot, after previously turning down requests to do so, Kan news has reported.

There was no immediate confirmation by the Shin Bet of the Kan report, which said the decision was made by agency chief David Zini. Kan said the exact security plan will be finalized in the next few days.

The about-face came after the Advisory Committee for Personal Security, which operates under the Prime Minister’s Office, recommended last month that the security agency provide Eisenkot with protection until the October 27 election.

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Eisenkot, a former IDF chief, is a leading contender to become Israel’s next prime minister, and his staff has urged the Shin Bet to provide him with security, alleging growing threats against him, both on the street and online, as the election approaches.

The Shin Bet initially said there was no intelligence to justify protecting Eisenkot. Eisenkot’s campaign hired unarmed private bodyguards but said they were inadequate, particularly as he regularly attends public events whose locations and schedules are announced in advance. At one point, Channel 12 reported that the Shin Bet had allowed Eisenkot’s private guards to carry arms, while still refusing to provide security itself, citing insufficient evidence of a threat.

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The Democrats party has also requested coverage for its chair, Yair Golan, due to increased threats against the left-wing leader that have included social media posts wishing him bodily harm or death.

One such post cited by Hebrew media called for Golan to take “a bullet to the head,” while another called to “gouge out” his eyes, and said that he and his family deserved to be hanged.

The Shin Bet has not yet made a decision on whether to secure Golan, who is a former deputy IDF chief.

Earlier this month, Justice Minister Yariv Levin ruled that the Shin Bet would decide for itself whether to provide security for heads of political parties ahead of the October 27 election.

B’Yachad chair Naftali Bennett, while not a sitting lawmaker, already receives security because he served as prime minister from 2021 to 2022.

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