Shin Bet Security Unit to Guard Party Chairman Gadi Eisenkot Starting Wednesday

Starting Wednesday, Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yashar Party and a candidate to form the next government, will receive security detail from Unit 730, the Shin Bet's personal security unit. This decision follows a lengthy process that began months before the elections. The Public Advisory Committee for Personal Security had previously approved security for Eisenkot by a majority vote, despite opposition from Shin Bet head David Zini. However, the Shin Bet initially decided not to provide him with security.

Late last month, the Yashar Party announced it had been informed by the Shin Bet that Eisenkot would not be guarded. The Shin Bet stated at the time that "in accordance with the decision of the Ministerial Committee on the Security of Party Leaders, rapid staff work was carried out and, within the law, an immediate and relevant response was formulated to the security issue."

The Shin Bet further explained that following consultations with professional elements inside and outside the service, Shin Bet head David Zini approved several measures to create an optimal security response for party leaders. These measures include intelligence units providing oversight and intelligence support, including monitoring and threat assessment around all party leaders. The Shin Bet also stated that if a party leader desired security, their hired security company would be granted a weapons permit, even without concrete intelligence or a specific threat. Full coordination would be maintained between the Shin Bet's security department and the party leaders and their private security teams to guide and improve the existing security envelope. The service would conduct periodic assessments to examine the threat level for each party leader and determine the level and method of security implementation accordingly.