Singer Eyal Golan at Center of Two Controversial Events Amid Election Campaign

Two separate reports have placed Israeli singer Eyal Golan at the center of events involving law enforcement and the prison service, just 20 days before national elections. One report revealed that the Police Trust Fund is marketing Golan's participation in the Hanukkah show "Hysteria" to police officers, while Golan is still under police investigation. The Police stated that the Police Trust Fund is a separate entity and its events do not affect their professional work. The Association of Centers for the Victims of Sexual Assault criticized the marketing, calling for Golan's removal.

Hours later, a second report detailed a separate event: a tribute evening for Israel Prison Service staff, where Golan and singer Eden Ben Zaken are scheduled to perform. This event, honoring 11,000 prison service members and their families, has a total cost of 2.75 million shekels. The Ministry of National Security is funding 1 million shekels of this, with the remainder from the Prison Service Trust Fund. The Ministry stated that the event is organized by the Prison Service and that everyone is presumed innocent.

Both reports, from Kan News and Channel 12, noted that the investigation into a complaint filed against Golan this year is ongoing. Additionally, in the "Social Games" case, prosecutors ordered supplementary investigations this year. Golan has denied all allegations against him. Taisiya (Tali) Zamolotski, the complainant in the "Social Games" case, is named in connection with the ongoing legal proceedings.

The timing of these events, occurring less than three weeks before the October 27th elections, has drawn attention. Notably, the "Otzma Yehudit" party, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, recently acquired rights to use a song performed by Golan for their election campaign. This follows a summer incident where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara attended a performance by Eden Ben Zaken, prompting criticism that Golan later supported.

Details of the prison service tribute event, including its budget and the involvement of the Ministry of National Security's logo, were published on the government's procurement database. The tender for the event was posted on September 24th, with a contract start date of November 1st.