The Democrats party filed an urgent petition with the High Court of Justice this morning, seeking a decree to compel the head of the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), David Zini, and the Israeli government to provide personal protection for party chair Yair Golan. According to the petition, Golan remains without a security detail, despite police assessments characterizing the threat level to his life as high. The petitioners allege that Golan faces dozens of concrete and explicit death threats, including hate speech and direct calls for murder. The petition includes documentation of these threats, depicting a situation of real danger. The party asserts that the lack of security leaves Golan completely exposed, with every passing day increasing the risk to his safety.
Beyond protecting the candidate’s life, the petition addresses the democratic aspect of the election process. The petitioners emphasize that a candidate unable to appear in public due to threats cannot conduct a fair and reasonable election campaign compared to other, non-threatened candidates. Consequently, it is argued that the impairment of a candidate due to their political views constitutes an injury to the entire democratic election process. In addition to Yair Golan, 'Yashar!' party chair Gadi Eisenkot also remains without security from the Dignitary Protection Unit at this stage.
The legal and administrative issue is complex, as Minister of Justice Yariv Levin decided two weeks ago to authorize the Shin Bet to determine the necessary response for non-secured party leaders. However, since that decision was made by the Ministerial Committee on Shin Bet Affairs, no operative decision has been formulated on the ground by the relevant authorities. The Democrats party maintains that securing party leaders is at the core of the Shin Bet’s mission, especially during sensitive election periods. The petition requests that the court intervene and compel the state to act immediately to mitigate the risks faced by the party leaders.