Justice Minister Yariv Levin ruled that the Shin Bet will decide for itself whether to provide security for the heads of political parties ahead of the October 27 election, Hebrew media reported Wednesday.

According to the reports, Levin made the decision himself, after no other ministers showed up to the scheduled meeting of the ministerial committee overseeing Shin Bet affairs.

The decision will only apply to party leaders not already serving as lawmakers. Sitting members of Knesset are automatically granted security when elected.

This means that the only leaders who will be affected by the Shin Bet’s decision will be Yashar chair Gadi Eisenkot, Democrats chair Yair Golan, and People of Israel chair Ofer Winter. B’Yachad chair Naftali Bennett, while not a sitting lawmaker, already receives security because he is a former prime minister.

The discussion around security details for civilian party leaders has become heated, and first arose amid a dispute over security for Eisenkot, a former IDF chief who is leading opinion polls ahead of the October 27 election.

Eisenkot’s party said it had sought state protection because threats against him were mounting as he emerged as a leading contender for prime minister during a bitter campaign.

According to the Ynet news site, Eisenkot’s campaign warned Zini that tensions and........

© The Times of Israel