Security Shift: Shin Bet Assumes Command of Gadi Eisenkot Protection

Gadi Eisenkot will be under the security purview of the Shin Bet beginning Sunday.

The Yashar party announced the arrangement, stating that a private security company will guard Eisenkot from Sunday morning. This firm will operate under the direct instruction of Unit 730, the elite counter-terrorism unit within Israel’s domestic security agency.

The change stems from a review of intelligence that took place in September. An Advisory Committee for Personal Security examined updated threat evaluations concerning the Yashar leader. The committee recommended that the Shin Bet oversee his security, reversing an earlier assessment by Shin Bet chief David Zini. Zini had initially determined in August that Eisenkot did not meet the specific criteria for Unit 730 protection.

The security transition follows a period of uncertainty for the party. In September, Yashar told The Jerusalem Post that no security detail had yet been assigned to Eisenkot, even after Zini approved the measures. The Shin Bet clarified that Zini approved a specific set of protocols for party leaders. These protocols include an intelligence oversight and support framework provided by intelligence units. They also permit security teams hired by party leaders to carry weapons and establish coordination channels between the Shin Bet and those private teams. The framework requires periodic situation assessments to gauge the threat level facing each leader.

The authority to implement these measures rests with the Ministerial Committee for Shin Bet Affairs. The committee granted Zini the power to set security arrangements for party leaders who hold no public office and are not otherwise entitled to state protection. This authorization remains in force until the next Knesset is sworn in.

Not all party leaders who requested protection received the same outcome. Yair Golan, chairman of The Democrats, petitioned the Shin Bet for protection. Golan cited a threat level comparable to that facing Eisenkot. The Shin Bet denied him immediate protection at this stage, leaving his security status distinct from Eisenkot’s.