Shin Bet to Guard Gadi Eisenkot Ahead of Elections Amid Heightened Threat

The Shin Bet security agency will assume full protection for Gadi Eisenkot, a former IDF Chief of Staff and current Knesset candidate, in the coming days. This decision follows an assessment by the Israel Police that raised the threat level against Eisenkot to four out of six, classifying it as high. While the police did not cite specific intelligence about an imminent attack, they deemed the existing threat level sufficient to warrant enhanced security measures.

There was initial disagreement between the police and the Shin Bet regarding the necessity of providing state security. Shin Bet chief David Zini reportedly opposed the measure, citing a lack of concrete intelligence or specific warnings of an impending assault. However, the Advisory Committee on Personal Security reviewed the situation on August 30th, considering the positions of both agencies and the updated threat assessment. The committee ultimately recommended, by a majority vote, that Eisenkot be provided with security until election day.

The final decision was made after a ministerial committee meeting on the Shin Bet's affairs did not achieve a quorum, with only its chairman, Yariv Levin, present. Levin subsequently delegated the authority to the Shin Bet to determine the necessary security arrangements independently.

Meanwhile, the security situation for Yair Golan, chairman of the Democratic Party, remains unresolved. The Israel Police have also assessed the threat level against him as four out of six. His party has formally requested that the Shin Bet provide him with state protection.

This development comes after Eisenkot publicly rejected the possibility of forming a government with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, holding him responsible for the failures leading up to the October 7th attacks.