Democrats Ask High Court To Order Shin Bet Protection For Yair Golan After Dozens Of Death Threats

The Democrats party and its chairman, Yair Golan, filed a petition at Israel's High Court of Justice on Tuesday asking the court to compel Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) director David Zini and the government to provide Golan with state protection, the faction announced.

The petition comes amid rising tensions and security threats ahead of the October 27 election. It says Golan has received dozens of explicit threats against his life and threats to harm his family, yet currently has no state protection detail.

What the petition asks for

Petitioners requested that the court order Shin Bet and the government to provide immediate protection for Golan, to maintain that protection until the petition is decided, and to convene an urgent hearing. They also asked the court to require a preliminary state response within 72 hours.

The Democrats say they turned to the High Court after three written requests for protection went unanswered: two letters to the chairman of the Central Elections Committee (copied to security and legal officials), and a direct request to Shin Bet director David Zini on September 22 with a requested reply by September 27.

Risk assessment and comparisons

Israel Police reportedly assessed Golan's risk level as 4 on a six-point scale — described in the petition as a high level and the same rating reportedly assigned to Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot. A public advisory committee recommended protection for Eisenkot in late August but did not recommend similar protection for Golan; the Democrats accused the committee of letting political considerations influence its decision.

Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) Director David Zini visits at Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem during Memorial Day which commemorates the fallen Israeli soldiers and victims of terror, on April 21, 2026. (credit: CHAIM GOLDBERG/FLASH90)

The petition also notes that a decision was announced to provide Eisenkot protection, although his team told The Jerusalem Post he had not yet been allocated a security detail.

Evidence cited

The filing includes screenshots of social media posts calling for Golan to be shot or hanged and threats targeting members of his family. It says Golan's name appeared in a death-threat letter attached to a brick thrown at Channel 12's news studios on July 27 — and that he was the only party leader named in that letter.

Earlier this month the Ministerial Committee for Shin Bet Affairs authorized Director Zini to determine security arrangements for party leaders who do not hold public office and are not otherwise entitled to state protection, for the period until the next Knesset is sworn in.

"A candidate who cannot appear in public without risking his life is restricted in conducting his election campaign compared with candidates who are not subject to a similar threat," the petition states. "Harming a candidate because of his political positions during an election period is an attack on the electoral process itself."

In a statement, the Democrats warned: "We will not sit idly by while the next political murder is being planned. We demand that the High Court intervene immediately, before it is too late."

Legal and democratic stakes

The petition argues that under the Shin Bet Law, the agency is responsible for protecting people designated by the government and that safeguarding a candidate facing credible threats is central to protecting Israel's democratic process. It asks the court to act promptly given the proximity of the election and the severity of the threats described.

This is a developing story.