Israeli Intelligence Community

Israeli Intelligence Community

The Israeli Intelligence Community (Hebrew: קהילת המודיעין הישראלית) is the designation given to the complex of organizations responsible for intelligence collection, dissemination, and research for the State of Israel. The organizations included are listed below, principal ones in bold.

Current members

*Aman: the supreme military intelligence branch of the Israeli Defense Forces

:*Air Intelligence Directorate: the intelligence unit of the Israeli Air Force:*Naval Intelligence Department: the intelligence unit of the Israeli Sea Corps:*Intelligence Corps: the main intelligence collection and analysis of the IDF:*Field Intelligence Corps: the intelligence unit of GOC Army Headquarters:*The intelligence units of the four Regional Commands (Central, Northern, Southern, Home Front).

*Mossad: the agency responsible primarily for overseas intelligence work

*Shin Bet ("Shabak"): the organization responsible for internal security, including in the Israeli-occupied territories

*The intelligence branch of the Israeli Police

*The Centre for Political Research: the intelligence branch of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Former members

*Nativ: the organization responsible for bringing Jews from Soviet Bloc countries, a later manifestation of the Mossad Le'aliyah Bet. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, it was moved out of the intelligence community and became a department within the Prime Minister's office.
*Lekem: the agency responsible for obtaining and securing secret technology. It was dissolved, and its director, Rafi Eitan, resigned over the exposure of Jonathan Pollard, who was convicted of spying on its behalf.

Parliamentary supervision

Parliamentary supervision over the Intelligence Community is undertaken by the Subcommittee for Intelligence and Secret Services, a subcommittee of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, which supervises the entire Israeli Security Forces.

tructure and organization

The issue regarding the suitable structure of the IIC, and questions as to dividing responsibilities and jurisdictions between Aman, Shabak, and Mossad, as well as the format of work for the three in relation to Prime Ministers and Ministers, all of these became agenda issues many times in the past. Various commissions and individual inspectors were appointed throughout the years, whether due to traumatic experiences or as a matter of routine, in order to examine the issues and propose recommendations. These were:

*The Yadin-Sherf Commission (1963)
*The Agranat Commission (1973-74)
*The Zamir Commission (1974)
*The Commissions of Aluf Aharon Yariv (1984, 1986)
*The Reports of Aluf Refael Vardi (1990s)
*The Commission to investigate the intelligence network following the War in Iraq (2004)

The government was tasked with the matter on a number of occasions and arrived at various decisions. The State Comptroller made the issue his agenda and submitted to the Knesset his findings and conclusions. In 1994, the Subcommittee for Intelligence also examined the questions and brought its recommendations before the Prime Minister.

The division of labour among the intelligence arms, Aman, Shabak, and Mossad, in the current structure of the IIC, is usually established upon a geographical basis. There are interfacing and overlapping segments, often rather wide, among the organizations. The level of coordination and inter-regional cooperation has suffered in the past from fundamental shortcomings, which has hindred the effectiveness of intelligence work on several fronts. The organizations repressed the necessity for the mutual sharing of intelligence information and in synchronizing some activities.

There are still open-ended issues remaining to be discussed, including disputed ones, as to the division of jurisdictions and inter-regional sectoral boundaries. In a document known as the "Magna Carta," the heads of the three services continue their attempt to arrive at agreements regarding these. The Intelligence Subcommittee follows this discourse and examines the steps required to practically settle key areas of dispute. If needed, the Subcommittee could become actively involved in the matter so as to ensure appropriate and reasonable standards for overall intelligence work in Israel.

Role of Aman

The historical development of the IIC destined Aman with a range of activities and tasks that are conventionally outside the realm of military intelligence in the West, such as the responsibility for intelligence research in political matters and other markedly non-military affairs. This largely followed from the reliance by the State of Israel during its first years on the IDF as an anchor and mechanism to fulfill national tasks, it being a system with organizational capacities, resources, and available human resources. As such, Aman has assumed functions which ordinarily would be handled by other intelligence agencies. Accordingly, some critics say, there is a need to reexamine the position and placement assumed by intelligence bodies within the current structure, and transferring certain strategic and political areas and non-military ones, from Aman to a civilian intelligence authority.

Reforms

The Commission to investigate the intelligence network following the War in Iraq maintained that, notwithstanding the historical consolidation behind the current IIC structure, and despite the advantages gained by Aman's Research Department and Unit 8200 during many years of service, it is finally time to restructure the IIC in accordance with a proper work distribution, professional designation, as well as a correct constitutional and legal frame of reference.

The Commission recommended on reforming the current IIC structure, ending up with three or four independent intelligence services, alongside the National Security Council, with the distinction between them being based upon the respective spheres of responsibility of each service:

*Aman (IDF): its jurisdiction is to consist primarily of "military intelligence" - alerting the political leadership and the security arms to the possibility of war and estimating the means of the enemy, and identifying prospective targets during a war or a limited military conflict.
*Mossad: is to be charged with, in addition to foiling attacks, a strategic-political emphasis, which includes evaluating the stability of regimes, and engaging in industrial-scientific-technological and nuclear -related intelligence as well as against global terrorism.
*Shabak: is to be tasked with the security of the State, its citizens, and organs, against Palestinian and other forms of terrorism, and against internal subversion.
*National Security Council: is to evaluate global conditions according to overall intelligence, and preparing national and security responses.
*"SIGINT service": this proposed service would supply all the other services with SIGINT intelligence.

Further reading

*Ephraim Kahana [http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/routledg/ujic/2002/00000015/00000003/art00004;jsessionid=5hbt58r5oi126.alice "Reorganizing Israel's Intelligence Community"] , "International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence", Volume 15, Number 3, 1 July 2002, pp. 415-428(14)


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Intelligence Services Minister of Israel — Israel This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Israel Basic Laws Jerusalem Law …   Wikipedia

  • Israeli Navy — cadets from the Israeli Naval Academy Founded 1948 Country …   Wikipedia

  • intelligence — /in tel i jeuhns/, n. 1. capacity for learning, reasoning, understanding, and similar forms of mental activity; aptitude in grasping truths, relationships, facts, meanings, etc. 2. manifestation of a high mental capacity: He writes with… …   Universalium

  • Intelligence analysis — This article deals with the intellectual process of analysis itself, as opposed to intelligence analysis management, which, in turn, is a subcomponent of intelligence cycle management. For a complete hierarchical list of articles in this series,… …   Wikipedia

  • Israeli Declaration of Independence — Declaration of Independence Location Tel Aviv Authors …   Wikipedia

  • Intelligence Outsourcing — Outsourcing intelligence is a method by which a country gathers information using non governmental employees. In the United States of America, approximately 51% of intelligence gatherers are contractors instead of governmental employees. Contents …   Wikipedia

  • Israeli military decorations — The Israeli Military decorations are the decorations awarded to soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces who exhibit extraordinary bravery and courage. Its decorations consist of the Medal of Valor (the highest decoration in the IDF), the Medal of… …   Wikipedia

  • Military Intelligence Directorate (Israel) — Military Intelligence Directorate Directorate of Military Intelligence Hebrew: אגף המודיעין‎ Common name Aman Agency overview Legal personality Governmental: Government agency …   Wikipedia

  • Israeli West Bank barrier — The Israeli West Bank barrier is a barrier being constructed by Israel consisting of a network of fences with vehicle barrier trenches surrounded by an on average 60 meters wide exclusion area (90%) and up to 8 meters high concrete walls… …   Wikipedia

  • Israeli Defense Forces — Israelische Streitkräfte Tzwa haHagana leJisra’el Führung Oberbefehlsh …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”