Professional committee recommends Shin Bet provide Eisenkot with armed security

Group of ministers headed by Netanyahu to make final decision; panel also discusses Yair Golan’s request for state-funded bodyguards, but yet to decide on a recommendation

The Advisory Committee for Personal Security, which operates under the Prime Minister’s Office, recommended that the Shin Bet security agency provide security for Yashar party chief Gadi Eisenkot, a leading contender to serve as Israel’s next prime minister, until the October 27 election.

The committee made the recommendation on Sunday after the Shin Bet declined to provide Eisenkot with armed guards, saying it did not possess intelligence justifying such a move. Eisenkot’s campaign has said he is facing growing threats as the election approaches.

Channel 12 news reported last week that the Shin Bet would allow Eisenkot’s private guards to carry weapons, in a compromise, but would not fund the move.

Eisenkot’s team has said the unarmed private guards he’s hired are insufficient, and warned that Eisenkot would become increasingly exposed as the election approached, with the former IDF chief regularly attending conferences, touring the country and appearing at events whose locations and schedules are publicized in advance.

A final decision on whether to take up the Advisory Committee for Personal Security’s recommendation rests with the ministerial committee overseeing Shin Bet affairs, which is headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The dispute over Eisenkot’s protection comes as he emerged as Netanyahu’s strongest electoral challenger, with polls consistently showing Yashar ahead of the ruling Likud party and that more Israelis believe he is better suited to serve as premier than the incumbent.

Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats party and a former IDF deputy chief of staff, speaks during an election campaign rally in Netanya, Israel, August 27, 2026. (Gili Yaari/Flash90.)

Along with Eisenkot’s appeal for state-funded security, the advisory panel on Sunday discussed a request for bodyguards submitted by Democrats party leader Yair Golan, who has also faced increasing threats, but did not reach a decision. Like Eisenkot, Golan is not a sitting member of Knesset and therefore not eligible for the security benefits that come with being an elected official, though he is not a candidate for prime minister.

The committee convened days after Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg asked National Security Council head Shmuel Ben Ezra to clarify which authority was responsible for determining which political party leaders require security protection, amid the requests from Eisenkot and Golan.