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The Democratic Party in Israel has filed a petition with the High Court of Justice, requesting that party leader Yair Golan be granted state protection from the Shin Bet security agency. This request comes as tensions and security threats rise ahead of the upcoming election on October 27. Despite numerous explicit threats to Golan's life and his family, Golan has not been granted any state protection by any government body.

The petitioners are asking the court to order the government and Shin Bet to provide Golan with immediate protection before the state responds to the case, to maintain that protection until the petition is decided, and to schedule an urgent hearing. They also request the court to demand a preliminary response from the state within 72 hours.

The Democrats have warned they will pursue legal action if their petition is ignored. The party had sent multiple requests to various government officials, including the chairman of the Central Elections Committee and security and legal officials, but these requests went unanswered. The Democrats noted that the Israel Police had raised Golan's risk level to high, on a scale of 1-6.

While a public advisory committee recommended protection for another opposition party leader, Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot, the committee did not recommend protection for Golan, accusing them of possible political bias. A decision was made on Sunday to provide protection to Eisenkot, but his team confirmed to The Jerusalem Post that he has not yet been assigned a security detail.

Recently, the Ministerial Committee for Shin Bet Affairs authorized Shin Bet chief David Zini to determine security arrangements for party leaders not holding public office, until the next Knesset is sworn in. The petition includes screenshots of posts threatening to kill Golan and his family, as well as a death-threat letter sent to Channel 12's news studios in July.

The Democrats argue that if Golan cannot campaign safely, he is at a disadvantage compared to other candidates who are not under similar threats. They stated that harming Golan due to his political views during the election period constitutes an attack on the electoral process itself. The Democrats emphasized that they will not stand by while a political murder is planned and demand that the High Court intervene immediately.