Israeli Court Orders Shin Bet to Consider Security for Politician Yair Golan

Israel's Supreme Court has ordered the head of the Shin Bet security agency, David Zini, along with the ministerial committee for Shin Bet affairs and the government, to consider providing immediate security for Yair Golan, chairman of the Democratic Party. The court's decision, issued Tuesday, comes after Golan and his party filed an urgent petition requesting security measures ahead of the upcoming elections, citing escalating threats.

The petition highlighted that the head of the threats department in the Police's National Headquarters recently raised Golan's risk level to 4 out of 6, the same level assigned to Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, who was ultimately granted security. According to documents submitted to the court, three prior written requests to the authorities, including one directly to Zini, went unanswered, leaving Golan without state protection.

The petition included evidence of explicit threats against Golan and his family, such as a rock thrown at Channel 12 studios with a death threat letter naming Golan as a target, and inflammatory social media posts calling for violence against him and his family. The party's CEO, Omer Lubaton Granot, warned of a severe security and moral failure, urging intervention before a potential political assassination.

Previously, an advisory committee had approved security for Eisenkot by a majority vote, despite Zini's opposition. However, Golan's case remained undecided. Reports also indicate that Eisenkot's security, though approved, is being deliberately delayed by certain officials, with committee chairman Ronen Cohen reportedly hindering the process due to past criticism of Eisenkot.