Counter-Terrorism Bureau (Israel)
The Israeli Counter-Terrorism Bureau (CTB) serves as a headquarters body for the Prime Minister, the government and its committees on counter-terrorism, and as a coordinating and organizational body between all the bodies working in the field.[1]
Contents
History
The CTB was formed in 1996 following a wave of attacks. In December 2005, the Cabinet empowered the Bureau to serve as the body coordinating counter-terrorism.[1]
On 2 May 2006, CTB officials took part in a meeting on Hamas between Yossi Kuperwasser of IDF Intelligence and US Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Stuart Levey.[2]
A US diplomatic cable reported:
- CTB Director Danny Arditi gave a presentation on the current economic state of the PA and the Palestinian territories. He described several potential channels for transferring funds to the PA: directly through the Presidency, the Palestinian Monetary Authority (PMA), the Islamic Qatar Bank, and the Islamic Palestinian Bank (a very small Palestinian-based bank not related to the Bank of Palestine).
- U/S Levey requested future meetings between financial analysts from the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Intelligence and Analysis (OIA) and GOI CTF counterparts. Danny Arditi, CTB Director of Counter Terror Finance (CTF) Udi Levi and Israel Security Agency (ISA) CTB representative Uzi Shaya agreed in principle. U/S Levey suggested that an initial working-level meeting in the near future could review specific evidence regarding the Islamic umbrella charity organization known as the Union of Good (or the Charity Coalition), and the American Near East Refugee Association (ANERA) NGO. Arditi enthusiastically supported U/S Levey's request.[2]
At a meeting on 10 May 2006, CTB Director Dani Arditi asked US Ambassador Jones for help establishing links with the US Department of Homeland Security.[3]
Functions of the Counter-Terrorism Bureau
According to its website, the Bureau has the following functions:
- Leading the Information Combat Steering Committee
- Leading the Minister of Transportation's inter-ministerial team regarding foreign ships
- Tracking the bodies' fulfillment of relevant government decisions
- Representing Israel in the ESRIF forum
- Handling threatened Israelis abroad
- Operation of a mechanism for the research, development and assimilation of technologies to combat terror and protect the public
- Preparation and legislation regarding non-conventional terrorism
- Preparation and legislation regarding security at sea, on land and in the air
- Coordination, preparation, promotion and assimilation of projects regarding border crossings in Israel
- International cooperation regarding the fight against terror with parallel bodies abroad.[1]
The website also gives the following list of activities:
- Intelligence – improving the manner in which the state deals with the threats of international Jihad, improving the integrative intelligence picture, dealing with threats of terror against Israelis abroad, research on suicide terrorists, and defining terror threat scenarios as a basis for setting the reference threat.
- Security and protection in the sea, land and air – coordination and consulting in the field of sea and air travel in Israel and to Israel, improving the civilian security systems in the State of Israel.
- Security and defense of sensitive infrastructure – improving the State of Israel's preparedness in the field of security and defense of sensitive infrastructure.
- Non-conventional terror and mega-terror – improving response and coordination in issues related to non-conventional terror.
- Collaboration – promoting international collaboration in the field of counter-terrorism.
- Border crossings – improving and coordinating control and security checks at border crossings into Israel, in order to prevent hostile terror activities, and improve coordination and organization of land, air and sea crossing points.
- Financial infrastructure – inter-organizational and international coordination in the financial battle against terror organizations.
- Technology – improving the coordination and regulation of technology in the State of Israel for the development of technological means and capabilities to fight terror.[1]
Structure and personnel
Director of the Counter-Terrorism Bureau
- Danny Arditi c.2006[2]
- Eytan Ben-David c.2013.[1]
Counter-Terrorism Finance (CTF)
- Udi Levi CTF Director c.2006.[2]
- Uzi Shaya Israel Security Agency CTF Director c.2006. (Shin Bet representative).[2]
External resources
- Terrorism Finance: Goi Says Now Is The Time To Act Against The Central Bank Of Iran And Increases Its Financial Isolation Of Gaza, Us Embassy Tel Aviv, 8 August 2008, released by Wikileaks, 8 September 2011.
- Philip Weiss, US appears toothless in latest Wiki snapshot, MondoWeiss,5 January 2011.
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Counter Terrorism Bureau, nsc.gov.il, accessed 16 July 2013.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Kupperwasser's Final Assessment Of Hamas, US Embassy Tel Aviv, 24 May 2006, released by Wikileaks, 24 May 2006. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "KuperwasserCable" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "KuperwasserCable" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "KuperwasserCable" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Israel Counterterrorism Bureau Chief Requests Help In Developing Cooperation With Dhs, US Embassy Tel Aviv, 11 May 2006, released by Wikileaks, 1 September 2011.
