Shin Bet chief says he alone made call to deny Gadi Eisenkot state security
Shin Bet chief David Zini rejected requests for a government security detail for leading prime ministerial contender Gadi Eisenkot, stating there is no intelligence indicating a threat to his life. Zini claims he made the decision alone. While the agency says it is "doing the maximum" and the Prime Minister reportedly requested "adequate" security for Eisenkot, the official denial has forced Eisenkot to carry his own firearm. The agency instead advised Eisenkot to use an emergency hotline if an incident occurs.
Listen to Live Briefing
Real-time synthesized voice briefing · Live Feeds Desk
- ✓ Shin Bet chief David Zini rejected Gadi Eisenkot's request for a government security detail.
- ✓ David Zini stated there is no intelligence indicating a threat to Gadi Eisenkot's life.
- ✓ David Zini claimed he alone made the decision to deny the security detail.
- ✓ Gadi Eisenkot is carrying a gun because he was denied full protection.
What changed
Shin Bet chief David Zini explicitly confirmed the lack of threat intelligence and took sole responsibility for the denial.
Live updates
-
Shin Bet chief David Zini denies Gadi Eisenkot state security detail
Shin Bet chief David Zini rejected requests for a government security detail for leading prime ministerial contender Gadi Eisenkot, stating there is no intelligence indicating a threat to his life. Zini claims he made the decision alone. While the agency says it is "doing the maximum" and the Prime Minister reportedly requested "adequate" security for Eisenkot, the official denial has forced Eisenkot to carry his own firearm. The agency instead advised Eisenkot to use an emergency hotline if an incident occurs.
Why it matters
Gadi Eisenkot is a rival to Prime Minister Netanyahu and a top contender for the premiership. This dispute occurs amid claims of rising threats and reminders of the security failures preceding the murder of Yitzhak Rabin.
What is confirmed
- Shin Bet chief David Zini rejected Gadi Eisenkot's request for a government security detail.
- David Zini stated there is no intelligence indicating a threat to Gadi Eisenkot's life.
- David Zini claimed he alone made the decision to deny the security detail.
- Gadi Eisenkot is carrying a gun because he was denied full protection.
Still unconfirmed
- Shin Bet told Eisenkot to call an emergency hotline if something happens.
What to watch next
- New intelligence reports regarding threats against political contenders.
confidence 90%Sources used for this update (11)
- The Jerusalem Post — Shin Bet chief says he alone made call to deny Gadi Eisenkot state security
- The Times of Israel — PM said to tell Shin Bet to ensure Eisenkot has ‘adequate’ security; agency says it’s ‘doing the maximum’
- The Jerusalem Post — Israel learned from Rabin’s murder. It must protect Gadi Eisenkot from rising threats
- Haaretz — Netanyahu rival Gadi Eisenkot not granted security detail despite threat claims
- وكالة صدى نيوز — Shabak Refuses to Provide Protection for Eizenkot
- Yahoo — Shin Bet head Zini rejects Eisenkot's security detail request, accused of political motives
- The Times of Israel — Elections committee chair says Shin Bet has no intel on efforts to harm Eisenkot
- The Times of Israel — Shin Bet head told Eisenkot to call emergency hotline ‘if something happens’ – report
- Ynetnews — Israel’s leading PM contender Eisenkot forced to carry gun as Shin Bet denies full protection
- www.jpost.com — Israel News
- allisraelnews.com — No intel of threat to Gadi Eisenkot’s life, Shin Bet finds, after leading PM contender requests security detail
Community Sentiment: How do you assess this situation?
Voice your perspective · Real-time aggregated sentiment from the Live Feeds community