Panel Recommends State Security for Gadi Eisenkot Amid Rising Threats

A public committee has recommended that the Ministerial Committee on Shin Bet Affairs grant state security to Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yishai! party, until the upcoming elections. The committee also discussed a security request for Yair Golan, chairman of the Democrats party, though a decision on his case is still pending. The recommendation for Eisenkot follows an urgent appeal from his party's chief of staff, Ron Barkai, who stated that Eisenkot is currently protected only by an unarmed private security firm. Barkai cited an unlearned assessment of threats and a lack of necessary intelligence as reasons for the insufficient security.

The security request for Golan, a former IDF chief of staff, comes amid a sharp escalation of direct threats against him on social media. Golan has presented severe and inciting responses to authorities, including calls for his execution and accusations of committing a "second Holocaust." Following a violent incident during a party visit to the Carmel Market, further threats against Golan and his family emerged online. The Democrats party stated that the police have raised the threat assessment level for Golan to level 4 and are demanding security due to the threats against his life.

The final decision on whether Eisenkot will receive state security, and the pending decision on Golan, rests with the Ministerial Committee on Shin Bet Affairs, chaired by Justice Minister Yariv Levin. The committee's recommendation is advisory, with the ministerial committee holding the sole authority to accept or reject it.