Ministers said to approve lifetime security detail for Sara Netanyahu

The Ministerial Committee on Shin Bet Affairs has approved a request to grant lifetime security coverage to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife, Sara Netanyahu, and to extend security protection for the couple’s two sons for an additional five years, regardless of the outcome of future elections, Hebrew media outlets reported Thursday.

The committee was said to have unanimously adopted the move based on the recommendation of Shin Bet chief David Zini, who, according to earlier reports, submitted the request following pressure from the premier and his wife, who argued that the war in Iran and other security developments justified the extended protection.

Netanyahu, who is himself guaranteed security for the next 20 years, was reportedly seeking the extension to his wife and children’s security coverage to take effect immediately, regardless of the outcome of the upcoming October 27 election.

Practically, the move is intended to grant Netanyahu’s family ongoing security details even if he loses the election, because if he wins, they will automatically receive them anyway.

Officials in the National Security Council and the Shin Bet were said to be hesitant about approving the request, with sources saying that although they recognized the seriousness of potential threats, they saw no reason to decide now on security arrangements for the next five years.

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The Prime Minister’s Office denied initial reports on the matter, while the NSC and Shin Bit refused to comment.

The PMO did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the move’s reported approval.

Yashar party chair Gadi Eisenkot, a former IDF chief of staff, said in an interview with Channel 12 on Wednesday that he was “very troubled” by reports that Zini had accepted a phone call from Sara Netanyahu on the matter.

“The attempts to influence the head of the Shin Bet through family members, through people close to his family, commentators, or media mouthpieces — this is a completely insane situation,” said Eisenkot, who is seen as Netanyahu’s main challenger in the upcoming election.

He compared the situation to an incident that he said occurred when he was leading the IDF, in which Netanyahu called him to his home to request that military personnel in a specific sector in the Golan Heights enter into underground bunkers.

Eisenkot told Channel 12 that he realized upon looking into the issue that one of Netanyahu’s sons, Avner, was serving in that sector and that this was the reason for the request.

“This seemed like a strange demand to me,” Eisenkot told the news channel, adding that he told Netanyahu, “There is a constant risk to civilians, to soldiers, but it is not the right thing to do.”

The former chief of staff said when Netanyahu tried to insist on the request, he understood there was “some family issue that was stressing him” and that “there’s something completely crazy happening around him.”

The former IDF chief also slammed Zini’s recent comments, in which the Shin Bet head said his loyalty lies with elected officials and not the state.

“If there’s a head of a security agency who feels that he owes personal loyalty, and acts accordingly, he should hand in his keys and leave… Anyone whose loyalty is not to the state, and whose actions are not in accordance with the law, will be required to hand in their keys and go home. And if they don’t, we’ll send them home.”

Jeremy Sharon contributed to this report.