2 days before election, Democrats say Shin Bet will protect Golan; Winter reportedly also to receive security

By Ariela Karmel

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Today, 9:41 am

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Ariela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.

Democrats leader Yair Golan (L) and People of Israel leader Ofer Winter. (Tal Gal/Flash90, Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

The Shin Bet will begin providing state-funded security protection to Democrats chairman Yair Golan, two days before Tuesday’s election, his party announces.

People of Israel leader Ofer Winter will also receive protection, according to Hebrew media reports.

“The Shin Bet has informed the office of Democrats chairman Maj. Gen. (res.) Yair Golan that, starting this morning, his security will be provided under the responsibility of the Shin Bet and funded by the state,” the party says in a statement.

There is no statement from People of Israel.

The protection will be provided by a private security firm operating under the Shin Bet’s direction, reports say.

Yashar announced yesterday that its chairman, Gadi Eisenkot, will receive similar protection starting today.

Unlike sitting Knesset members, who are protected by the Knesset Guard, or former prime ministers, whose security is handled by the Shin Bet, Golan, Eisenkot and Winter do not fall under an established framework for state-provided protection.

The decision follows months of demands by the Democrats for Golan to receive protection after police classified the threat against him at level 4 out of 6, amid dozens of death threats. The party argued that the lack of security was hampering his ability to campaign ahead of Tuesday’s election.

Earlier this month, the Democrats petitioned the High Court of Justice, seeking to compel Shin Bet chief David Zini to assume responsibility for Golan’s security as part of the agency’s statutory duty to safeguard Israel’s democratic institutions.

However, Supreme Court President Isaac Amit urged Golan to withdraw the petition, saying the court could not intervene in professional security matters handled by the Shin Bet. State representatives presented a security plan and pledged to update it in accordance with ongoing threat assessments.

“That has now happened, two days before the election,” the Democrats say.