“TERRORISM: IN THE EYE OF THE STORM”: THE 21ST WORLD SUMMIT ON COUNTERTERRORISM

The annual conference, held by the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) at Reichman University, convened senior officials and experts from Israel and around the globe in September to discuss the most burning issues in the field of counter-terrorism.

On the agenda for discussion at this year’s World Summit on Counter-Terrorism, were challenges such as the threats emanating from Israel’s northern border, and from Gaza and the West Bank, the Iranian nuclear program and potential signing of a nuclear deal, far-right terrorism, and the role of technology in terrorism and counter-terrorism. Participants hailed from Israel and around the world, and included senior officials and experts from the fields of security, intelligence, policing, and technology.

Like every year, on the first day of the conference, a memorial ceremony was held to mark the 21st anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and in memory of the victims of terrorism in Israel and around the world, in the presence of the US Ambassador to Israel, Thomas Nides.

Amb. Nides sat down for a one-on-one conversation with Prof. Boaz Ganor, ICT’s Founder and Executive Director, during which he said, “Obviously Iran and its proxies are a fundamental significant threat to the State of Israel, and the US will not stand by and allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. But equally as important is what is going on in the West Bank. I try to keep the vision of the two-state solution alive. I fundamentally believe that to keep Israel a democratic Jewish state, we must have a twostate solution.”

US Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, addressed the conference in pre-recorded remarks saying, “I am proud of the close partnership we have built and continue to strengthen with the State of Israel and with so many of the nations represented here today. I am grateful for the work of the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism. It is through such institutions – it is through partnerships – that we will successfully counter the threat that so solemnly brings us together in Herzliya today to remember the tragedy of 9/11 and redouble our collective efforts to protect the freedom of our people and our way of life.”

Conference attendees had the opportunity to hear from Israel’s top security officials, including Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Head of the Mossad David Barnea, Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar, National Security Advisor Dr. Eyal Hulata, and Military Intelligence Chief Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva.

In his remarks, Mossad Chief Barnea said that Iran, “Is a regime that bases its rule on intimidation and espouses violence as a legitimate measure. This is state terrorism carried out upon the explicit orders of the leader. Terrorism is perpetrated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other Iranian intelligence organizations. It is not spontaneous; it is planned, systematic state terrorism – strategic terrorism. The leader of Iran orders the expansion of nuclear activities, supports terrorist organizations and spreads terrorism around the world… Iran is leading a worldwide campaign to harm Jews and Israelis.”

Discussing the talks on a possible nuclear agreement with Iran, Barnea emphasized that they, “Are not a restraining factor in any way. On the contrary, terrorist activity is being carried out and expanding to the United States and Europe, while the negotiations in Vienna are going on. Bold and fearless attempts are being made to harm American officials on US soil, opponents of the Iranian regime and human rights activists. From the point of view of the Iranians, this is proof that it is possible to maintain a civilized discourse on the nuclear agreement on the one hand, and on the other hand, to plan terrorist acts. This artificial separation will continue to exist for as long as the world allows it to… One can only imagine how Iran will act when the agreement is already signed, when it will not be under diplomatic pressure and all the barriers will have been removed. The agreement will actually bring Iran closer to realizing its nuclear program – it may be effective in the short term, but very dangerous in the long term.”

Barnea concluded his remarks by saying, “It is important for me to emphasize that we are not taking part in this charade and turning a blind eye –we do not close our eyes to the proven truth. We rely on facts; we know the Iranian vision and we see it being realized in practice. Therefore, even if the agreement is signed, Iran will have no immunity from the actions of the Mossad. As the head of the Mossad, I want to make it clear: the Iranian regime does not have and will not have room for immunity. The Mossad will continue to exact justice from all those involved in terrorist attacks, from the perpetrators to the decision makers. The Iranian leadership must be aware that the use of force against Israel or Israelis, directly or via proxies, will be met with a painful response against those responsible, on Iranian soil.”

Head of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, echoed Barnea’s view on a potential deal with Iran: “Iran is the main axis of most of the phenomena in the region and plays a significant role in the instability we are experiencing in the Palestinian arena. Iran isn’t just a nuclear problem; it is the primary problem of the Middle East. We can only imagine the scope of its future influence if a nuclear agreement is signed and the Iranian coffers are bolstered with an additional 85 billion dollars, some of which will clearly be earmarked for the purposes of terrorism, and influencing and strengthening organizations such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad.”

Bar also said that the Shin Bet has identified the “most complex” challenge Israel is facing as the, “Deep rift that is developing within Israeli society. From the intelligence that we have read, from the interrogations of attackers we have conducted, and also from many years of familiarity with our adversaries, we can say today without a shadow of a doubt that the political instability, the growing internal strife… are an encouragement to the axis of evil, to the terror organizations and individual attackers. The prevailing feeling among our adversaries is that our historical advantage, our national resilience, is fading. This insight should trouble us more than anything else.”

Chairman of the Board and Founder of Reichman University Prof. Uriel Reichman also expressed concern about the internal discord in Israel, saying, “We are once again entering an election period, which will to a great extent determine the fate of Israeli society, in which there is currently a deep rift. I want to call on all political parties in the State of Israel – we must understand that we have no choice but to live together and work together for the future of the State of Israel.”

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