Shin Bet to begin protecting Gadi Eisenkot in Israel — Jerusalem Post
In Israel, Unit 730 of the Shin Bet internal security service is expected to begin protecting Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot in the coming days. The decision is linked to threat assessments against him and a recommendation by an advisory committee, the Jerusalem Post reports, citing Maariv.
Unit 730 is responsible for protecting public figures. According to security officials, Shin Bet has completed discussions on the security plan and the scope of protection for Eisenkot. The unit is expected to assume full responsibility for his protection in the coming days.
Police assessment
On the eve of the advisory committee meeting, police raised the threat level for Eisenkot to four out of six, which is considered high. The police commissioner recommended that he be provided with armed protection immediately. At the same time, police did not point to information indicating an immediate threat to the politician's life.
Shin Bet director David Zini initially did not support providing Eisenkot with the agency's protection, as the service had no intelligence information or specific warning of an intent to harm him. The difference between Shin Bet's assessment and the police position was reviewed at the ministerial level.
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Decision on protection
The advisory committee, chaired by retired Israel Defense Forces Colonel Ronen Cohen, recommended on August 30 that Eisenkot be provided with protection until election day. The decision was supported by a majority of committee members, but it was not unanimous.
The ministerial committee on Shin Bet was to decide whether to approve this recommendation. Not all ministers attended the meeting, except for the committee chairman, Justice Minister Yariv Levin. After that, Levin delegated to Shin Bet the authority to independently determine the necessary security measures.
Shin Bet has not yet made a final decision on state protection for Democrats party leader Yair Golan. In a letter to David Zini, the party said that police had raised Golan's risk level to four out of six, the same as for Eisenkot.
