State Security Unit Directs Guard for Yashar Leader

Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yashar party, will receive a private security detail operating under the direct command of Unit 730 of the Shin Bet starting this Sunday. The party confirmed the arrangement in a statement released on Friday, marking the end of a months-long dispute over his safety protocols.

The change in status stems from a review conducted by the Advisory Committee for Personal Security in September. That committee examined updated intelligence and threat assessments, leading them to recommend that the domestic security agency oversee Eisenkot's protection. This decision followed an initial ruling in August by Shin Bet chief David Zini, who had determined that Eisenkot did not meet the criteria for the elite unit's guard.

Despite the approval, a gap remained in the summer. Yashar officials told The Jerusalem Post in September that no security team had been assigned to Eisenkot even after Zini gave the green light. The current agreement mandates that the private company hired by the party acts on specific instructions from the intelligence unit, closing that operational gap.

The broader framework approved by Zini includes several measures for party leaders. These provisions grant intelligence units oversight and support capabilities, allow hired security teams to carry weapons, and require coordination between the state agency and private guards. Periodic assessments will also gauge the threat level facing each leader.

This authority was granted to Zini by the Ministerial Committee for Shin Bet Affairs. It allows him to set security arrangements for party leaders who do not hold public office and are not otherwise entitled to state protection. That authorization remains in force until the next Knesset is sworn in. Not all applicants have received the same treatment. Yair Golan, chairman of The Democrats, petitioned for similar protection citing a comparable threat level, but the Shin Bet has denied him immediate assistance at this stage.