In the coming days, the Shin Bet’s Unit 730, which is responsible for protecting public figures, will begin providing security for Gadi Eisenkot, one of the opposition's main candidates to aim for the prime minister role in the upcoming elections, Maariv reported on Friday.
Security officials told Maariv that final discussions have been held in recent days within the Shin Bet regarding the security plan and the scope of protection Eisenkot will receive. The assessment is that the Shin Bet’s VIP protection unit will assume full responsibility for his security in the coming days. The decision to protect Eisenkot was made following the advisory committee's recommendation and in light of the threat assessments against him.
Meanwhile, the Shin Bet has not yet made a decision regarding security for Democrats party chairman Yair Golan, whom police have classified as facing the highest threat level. “The request for security comes against the backdrop of the increase in Golan’s risk level to level 4 out of 6 by the Israel Police, a level identical to that of former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot,” the Democrats said in a letter sent to Shin Bet Director David Zini.
Yariv Levin transfers authority to Shin Bet
The move comes after the Ministerial Committee on Shin Bet Affairs was expected to convene to decide whether to adopt the advisory committee's recommendation on personal security and grant state protection to Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot until election day. However, none of the ministers attended the meeting except for the committee’s chairman, Justice Minister Yariv Levin. Following the ministers’ absence, Levin decided to transfer authority to the Shin Bet to independently determine what security measures are required.
Shin Bet Director David Zini had initially reached a different conclusion when he was asked to address the matter. He rejected the possibility of Eisenkot receiving protection from the agency, partly because the Shin Bet did not have intelligence information or a concrete warning indicating an intention to harm him. The dispute that reached the ministers centered on the fact that the Shin Bet had not identified a specific warning, while police assessed that the threat level facing Eisenkot was high and recommended assigning him armed protection.
Committee discusses positions of Shin Bet, police
The advisory committee, headed by retired IDF Col. Ronen Cohen, held an extended discussion on August 30 and heard, among other things, the positions of the Shin Bet and police. At the end of the discussion, it was recommended that Eisenkot be provided with security until election day. The decision was approved by a majority vote, not unanimously.
One of the significant pieces of information presented to committee members was the police’s updated threat assessment. In the days before the discussion, the threat level facing Eisenkot was raised to level 4 out of 6, considered a high threat level. The police commissioner submitted an assessment to the committee recommending that Eisenkot receive immediate armed protection. Police did not point to information indicating an immediate danger to life, but determined that the level of threat justified taking protective measures.