Who protects Israel's Prime Minister?
The Israeli Prime Minister is protected by Shabak or Shin Bet.
The Shin Bet is Israel’s secret service and FBI rolled into one.
Its motto is "Magen veLo Yera'e" ,
means "Defender that shall not be seen"
or "The unseen shield".
The Shin Bet's headquarters are located in Ramat Aviv,
a northern neighborhood in Tel Aviv,
north of Park Hayarkon.
Shin Bet is believed to have three operational wings:
First wing is The Arab Department:
responsible primarily for Arab-related counter terrorism activities in Israel,
the West Bank,
and the Gaza Strip.
The second wing is Israel and Foreigners Department:
It includes the Department for Counter-intelligence
and Prevention of Subversion in the Jewish Sector,
also known as the "Jewish Department".
It is responsible for preventing espionage,
and for dealing with extremists who carry out actions
(such as terrorism)
against the state and the democratic regime.
And the last wing is Protective Security Department:
responsible for protecting high-value individuals
and locations in the country such as government officials,
prime minister,
embassies,
airports,
and research facilities.
Although a security agency,
it is not a part of the Israeli Ministry of Defense,
and its chief answers directly to the Prime Minister of Israel.
In 1995,
the Shin Bet failed to protect the Israeli prime minister,
Yitzhak Rabin,
who was assassinated by right-wing Israeli radical Yigal Amir.
Shin Bet had discovered Amir's plans,
and a Shin Bet agent was sent to monitor Amir,
and reported that Amir was not a threat.
Following the assassination,
the Shin Bet director,
Carmi Gillon,
resigned preemptively.
Later,
the Shamgar Commission pointed
to serious flaws in the personal security unit.