Eisenkot's Party Announces Shin Bet Security Detail Starting Tomorrow

Gadi Eisenkot's Yishar! party announced Saturday evening that he will receive security protection from the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) starting Sunday. The party stated that the security will be provided by a private security firm, which will be "directly guided and operated by Unit 730," according to the announcement.

This decision comes about a month after the Shin Bet initially stated it did not plan to provide security for Eisenkot or Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats. At that time, the Shin Bet said it would offer intelligence monitoring and accompaniment, including threat assessment for all party leaders. The agency noted that if a party leader desired security, a private company they hired would be permitted to carry weapons, even without concrete intelligence of a threat.

During the election campaign, the Shin Bet did not intervene in Eisenkot's security. Authority to determine who receives security was granted to the Shin Bet by the Ministerial Committee on Shin Bet Affairs. At a meeting of this committee, chaired by Justice Minister Yariv Levin, it was decided that the Shin Bet would determine the necessary security for party leaders without existing protection until the swearing-in of the 26th Knesset.

Levin was the sole attendee at that meeting and determined that the Shin Bet would establish security packages for Eisenkot, Golan, and Ofer Winter, leader of the Amcha Israel party. Golan had appealed to the High Court of Justice regarding the matter, but his claims were not accepted by the judges.