Sara Netanyahu Requests Lifetime Security; Shin Bet Supports Protection While Threats Persist

Sara Netanyahu has requested lifetime security protection, including a personal vehicle and driver. The Shin Bet has not outright rejected this demand but stated they will continue to provide security "as long as there are threats." Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office is seeking to extend security coverage for Sara and their sons, Yair and Avner, for an additional five years beyond 2026, regardless of election outcomes.

Currently, Netanyahu himself has security protection for 20 years, not lifetime. No formal opinion from the Shin Bet director, David Zini, has been submitted to the Security Cabinet committee, and the decision meeting has been postponed with no new date set. The Shin Bet is expected to recommend maintaining security for the Netanyahu family as long as threats remain. The National Security Council and the public committee on personal security have yet to present their positions.

Historically, the Netanyahu family was guarded by the Shin Bet's "Magen" unit and later by Unit 730, which provides comprehensive protection including close bodyguards, vehicles, and drivers. Presently, Sara and the children are entitled to protection until the end of 2026. The request before the Security Cabinet is to extend this until the end of 2031, even if Netanyahu does not remain prime minister after the October 27 elections.

Sources indicate strong pressure from Netanyahu's circle to secure prolonged protection. This move would expand security arrangements typically granted to former prime ministers' families, unlike the children of former PMs Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, who currently receive no such protection. Netanyahu's team argues that the recent war and evolving threat landscape justify revisiting security protocols.

The Security Cabinet committee, chaired by Netanyahu and including ministers Yariv Levin, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel Katz, and Yoav Kisch, will decide. An advisory committee led by retired Colonel Ronen Cohen, a former military intelligence officer supportive of Netanyahu, also influences the process. The Netanyahu camp views this extension as insurance should they lose power, fearing a new cabinet might revoke current security arrangements. Despite some debate over the extension's duration, there is broad agreement on the necessity of continued protection due to ongoing threats, including Israeli operations against Iranian targets and militant leaders in Hamas and Hezbollah.