Starchitect and Shin Bet: Difference between pages

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[[Image:Guggenheim-bilbao-jan05.jpg|thumb|300px|The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, along the [[Nervión|Nervión River]], [[Bilbao]], [[Frank Gehry]]]]

:''For the ethnic group, see [[Shabak people]].''

'''Starchitect''' or also '''stararchitect''' [star + architect] is a normally pejorative term used to describe [[architect]]s whose celebrity and critical acclaim have transformed them into idols of the architecture world and may even have given them some degree of fame amongst the general public. Celebrity status is generally associated with [[avant-gardism|avant-gardist]] novelty. [[Real estate developer|Developer]]s around the world have proven eager to sign up "top talent" (starchitects) in hopes of convincing reluctant municipalities to approve large developments, of obtaining financing or of increasing the value of their buildings. A key characteristic is that the architect's designs are almost always iconic and highly visible within the site or context.

[[Image:ShabakLogo.gif|thumb|100px|Shabak emblem "Defender who shall not be seen"]]

== On status ==

The notion of giving celebrity status to architects is nothing new, but is contained within the general tendency, from the Renaissance onwards, to give status to artists. Until the modern era artists in Western civilization were generally working under a patron - usually the Church or the rulers of the state - and their reputation could become commodified, such that their services could be bought by different patrons. One of the first records of celebrity status is artist-architect [[Giorgio Vasari]]'s monograph ''Le Vite delle più eccellenti pittori, scultori, ed architettori'' (or, in English, ''Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects''), first published in 1550, recording the Renaissance (''rinascita'') - a term he himself was the first to use in print - at the time of its flourishment. Vasari, himself under the patronage of Grand Duke [[Cosimo I de' Medici]], even favoured architects from the city where he resided, [[Florence]], attributing to them innovation, while barely mentioning other cities or places further away. The importacne of Vasari's book was in the ability to consolidate reputation and status without people actually having to see the works described.<ref>D. J. Gordon and Stephen Orgel, "Leonardo's Legend", ''ELH'', Vol. 49, No. 2, Summer, 1982.</ref> The development of media has thus been equally of central importance to architectural celebrity as other walks of life.

The '''Shabak''' (in Hebrew, שב"כ '''{{Audio|He-Shabak.ogg|"Shabak"}}''') an acronym of "Shérūt Bītāhōn Klālī" שירות ביטחון כללי) is usually referred to in English as the '''Shin Bet''' (which was what Shabak was originally called in Israel's early days). The Shabak is also known in English as the '''Israel Security Agency''' (ISA), or the '''GSS''' (General Security Service). The Shabak is the Internal General Security Service of [[Israel]]. Its [[motto]] is "מגן ולא יראה," which translates into: "Defender (Shield) who shall not be seen". The service consists of close to 5,000 employees. It is one of three principal organizations of the [[Israeli Intelligence Community]], alongside [[Aman (IDF)|Aman]] (the [[military intelligence]] of the [[Israel Defense Forces|IDF]]) and [[Mossad]] (responsible for overseas [[Intelligence (information gathering)|intelligence]] work).

While status arising from patronage from the Church and State continued with the rise of [[Enlightenment]] and [[capitalism]] (e.g. the position of architect [[Christopher Wren]] in the patronage of the [[British Crown]], the [[City of London]], the [[Church of England]] and [[Oxford University]] during the Seventeenth century), there was an expansion in artistic and architectural services available, each competing for commissions with the growth of industry and the middle-classes. Architects nevertheless remained essentially servants to their clients: while [[Romanticism]] and [[Modernism]] in the other arts encouraged individualism, progress in architecture was geared mostly to improvements in building performance (standards of comfort), engineering and the development of new building typologies (e.g. factories, railway stations, and later airports) and public beneavolence (the problems of urbanization, "public housing", overcrowding, etc), yet nevertheless allowing some architects to concern themselves with architecture as an autonomous art (as flourished with [[Art Nouveau]] and [[Art Deco]]).<ref>Spiro Kostof, ''The Architect: Chapters in the History of the Profession'', University of California Press, 2000.</ref> The heroes of modern architecture, in particular [[Le Corbusier]], were seen as heroic for generating theories about how architecture should be concerned with the development of society.

== Duties and roles ==

Such publicity also made it into the popular press: in the post-war era [[Time magazine]] occasionally featured architects on its front cover - for instance, in addition to [[Le Corbusier]], [[Eero Saarinen]], [[Frank Lloyd Wright]], and [[Ludwig Mies van der Rohe]]. In more recent times Time magazine has also featured [[Philip Johnson]], [[Peter Eisenman]], [[Rem Koolhaas]] and [[Zaha Hadid]]. Eero Saarinen is a particularly interesting case because he specialized in building Headquarters for prestigious US companies, such as [[General Motors]], [[CBS]], and [[IBM]], and these companies used architecture to promote their corporate images: e.g. during the 1950s General Motors often photographed their new car models in front of their HQ in [[Michigan]].<ref>Eeva-Liisa Pelkonen and Donald Albrecht (eds), ''Eero Saarinen. Shaping the Future'' New Haven, Yale University Press, 2006.</ref> Corporations have continued to understand the value of bringing in Starchitects to design their key buildings. For instance, the manufacturing company [[Vitra]] is well-known for the works of notable architects that make up its premises in [[Weil am Rhein]], Germany; including [[Zaha Hadid]], [[Álvaro Siza]] and [[Frank Gehry]]; as is the fashion house [[Prada]] for commissioning [[Rem Koolhaas]] to design their flagship stores in New York and Los Angeles. However, throughout history the greatest prestige has come with the design of public buildings - opera houses, libraries, townhalls, and especailly museums, often referred to as the "new cathedrals" of our times.<ref>Justin Henderson, ''Museum Architecture'', Rockport Publishers, 2001.</ref>

{{Israelis}}

The Shabak's duties are:

* Upholding the state [[security]] against those who seek to undermine it by [[terrorism|terrorist]] activity or violent revolution.

* Expose terrorist organizations of [[Israel]]i civilians

* Interrogations of terror suspects.

* Providing [[military intelligence|intelligence]] for [[counter-terrorism]] operations in the [[West Bank]] and the [[Gaza Strip]].

* [[Counter-espionage]].

* Protect the lives of senior public officials (see also: [[bodyguard]]s).

* Secure important infrastructure and government buildings.

* Ensure the security of [[El-Al]], [[Arkia]] and [[Israir]] flights and Israel's [[embassy|embassies]] abroad.

One of the Shin Bet's roles is to protect the lives of senior Israeli ministers and public servants (such as the [[President of Israel]]). The Shin Bet is also responsible for preventing the funding of underground movements and terror groups whose members are Israeli citizens. It accomplishes this goal by using interrogations and secret agents ([[HUMINT]]).

== The Bilbao Effect and the rise of 'wow-factor' architecture ==

Buildings are frequently regarded as profit opportunities and creating 'scarcity' or a certain degree of uniqueness gives further value to the investment. The balance between functionality and avant-gardism has influenced many property developers. For instance, architect-developer [[John Portman]] found that building [[skyscraper]] hotels with vast atriums - which he did in various US cities during the 1980s - was more profitable than maximizing floor area.<ref>Charles Landry, ''The Creative City: A Toolkit for Urban Innovators''. London; Earthscan, 2003.</ref>

[[Image:Paris.pompidou.500pix.jpg|thumb|180px|[[Renzo Piano|Piano]] and [[Richard Rogers|Rogers]], [[Pompidou Centre]] (1977), [[Paris]]]]

However, it was the rise of [[postmodern architecture]] during the late 1970s and early 1980s that gave rise to the idea that star status in the architectural profession was about an avant-gardism linked to [[popular culture]] - which, it was argued by postmodern critics such as [[Charles Jencks]], had been derided by modernist architecture. In response, Jencks argued for "double coding";<ref>Charles Jencks, ''What is Postmodernism?'' London, Academy Editions, 1984.</ref> i.e. that postmodernism could be understood and enjoyed by the general public and yet command "critical approval". The star architects from that period often built little or their best-known works were so-called "paper architecture", unbuilt or even unbuildable schemes, yet well known through frequent reproduction in architectural magazines: e.g. [[Léon Krier]], [[Michael Graves]], [[Aldo Rossi]] and [[James Stirling]]. As postmodernism went into decline, due to its associations with vernacular and traditionalism, its avant-gardist credentials suffered, and celebrity shifted back towards Modernist avant-gardism.<ref>Charles Jencks, "The new paradigm in architecture" in ''Absolute Motion'', Datutop 22, Tampere, 2002.</ref>

== Legal status and methods ==

But in parallel with post-modernism an undercurrent of modernism persisted, often championing progress by means of experimentality in technology - for instance in the work of [[Norman Foster]], [[Renzo Piano]], and [[Richard Rogers]], the latter two having designed the [[Pompidou Centre]] (1977) in [[Paris]], which received both popular and critical acclaim. What this so-called [[High-tech architecture]] showed was that an industrial aesthetic - an architecture characterized as much by urban grittiness as engineering efficiency - had popular appeal. This was also somewhat evident in the so-called [[Deconstructivism|Deconstructionist architecture]], for instance the use by [[Frank Gehry]] of chainlink fencing, raw plywood and other industrial materials in designs for residential architecture.

The Shabak relies mainly on [[HUMINT]] to extract information and gather intelligence. It uses [[informant]]s from the local population in order to gather intelligence about planned attacks or about the ___location of opposition leaders. Shabak had overwhelming success with informants, managing to target the top leaders of the Palestinian organizations—including hardliners such as [[Hamas]] and the [[Islamic Jihad]]. The killing of Sheikh [[Ahmed Yassin]] and [[Abed al-Aziz Rantissi]] shows how deeply Shabak has penetrated into the Palestinian militias. As a result, the Palestinians groups, mainly the [[al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades]] started killing suspected [[collaborator]]s.

Shabak also extracts information by [[interrogation|interrogating]] suspects. In [[1987]], after complaints about excessive use of violence in interrogations of Palestinian prisoners, the Landau Committee (headed by a former Supreme Court President) prepared a two-part report on Shabak's interrogation methods. Only one part was made public. It revealed that the Shabak regularly used violent methods of interrogation and that Shabak agents were tutored to lie in court about how evidence was uncovered. The committee report also gave guidelines for future interrogations but most of the details were in the secret part of the report. The open part revealed that the guidelines allowed Shabak to apply "moderate physical pressure" in the case of "necessity." In [[1994]], State Comptroller Miriam Ben-Porat, in a report not made public until February [[2000]], found that during 1988-1992 "Violation of the Landau Commission and the GSS regulations continued to be widespread in the interrogation facility in Gaza and, to some extent, in other facilities.… Veteran and senior investigators in the Gaza facility carried out severe and systematic violations. Senior GSS commanders did not prevent these violations." [http://domino.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/a4d9ee9284f95f798525697b0049366c?OpenDocument]

With urban generation from the turn of the twentieth century picking up, economists forcasted that [[globalization]] and the powers of multi-national corporations would shift the balance of power away from nation states towards individual cities, which would then compete with neighbouring cities and cities elsewhere for the most lucrative modern industries, and which increasingly in major Western Europe and US cities did not include manufacturing. Thus cities set about 'reinventing themselves', giving precedence to the value given by culture. Municipalities and non-profit organizations hope the use of a Starchitect will drive traffic and tourist income to their new facilities. With the popular and critical success of the [[Guggenheim Museum Bilbao|Guggenheim Museum]] in [[Bilbao]], [[Spain]], by [[Frank Gehry]], in which a rundown area of a city in economic decline brought in huge financial growth and prestige, the media started to talk about the so-called "Bibao factor";<ref>Witold Rybczynski, "The Bilbao Effect", ''The Atlantic Monthly'', September 2002.</ref> a star architect designing a blue-chip, prestige building was thought to make all the difference in producing a landmark for the city. Similar examples are the Imperial War Museum North (2002), [[Manchester]], UK, by [[Daniel Libeskind]], the [[Kiasma]] Museum of Contemporary Art, [[Helsinki]], [[Finland]], by [[Steven Holl]], and the [[Seattle Central Library]] (2004), [[Oregon]], USA, by [[OMA]].

[[Image:ImperialWarMuseumNorth02.jpg|thumb|right|The Imperial War Museum North, Manchester, [[Daniel Libeskind]].]]

The origin of the phrase "wow-factor" architecture is uncertain, but has been used extensively in both the UK and USA to promote avant-gardist buildings within urban regeneration since the late 1990s.<ref>The term has been used more often in business management. See for instance: [[Tom Peters]], ''The pursuit of wow'', New York, Vintage, 1994.</ref> It has even taken on a more scientific aspect, with money made available in the UK to study the significance of the factor. In research carried out in [[Sussex University]], UK, in 2000, interested parties were asked to consider the "effect on the mind and the senses" of new developments.<ref>Paul Kelso, "Architects urged to go for the 'wow factor' in designs for Britain's new public buildings", ''The Guardian'', November 27, 2000.</ref> In an attempt to produce a "delight rating" for a given building, architects, clients and the intended users of the building were encouraged to ask: "What do passers-by think of the building?", "Does it provide a focal point for the community?" "Performance indicators" are also being produced by the UK Construction Industry Council, so that bodies commissioning new buildings will be encouraged to consider whether the planned building has "the wow factor" in addition to more traditional concerns of function and cost.

In [[1999]] the [[Supreme Court of Israel|Israeli Supreme Court]] heard several petitions against Shabak methods. It found that these included: (1) "forceful and repeated shaking of the suspect’s upper torso, in a manner which causes the neck and head to swing rapidly," (2) manacling of the suspect in a painful “Shabach position" for a long period of time, (3) the "frog crouch" consisting of "consecutive, periodical crouches on the tips of one’s toes," and other methods. The Court ruled that Shabak did not have the authority, even under the defense of "necessity," to employ such methods.

The Wow-Factor has also been taken up by American architecture critics such as [[New York Times]] architecture critics Herbert Mushamp and Nicolai Ouroussof, in their arguments that the city needs to be "radically" reshaped by new towers. Discussing a project for a new skyscraper at 80 South Street, near the foot of the [[Brooklyn Bridge]], by Spanish Starchitect [[Santiago Calatrava]], Ouroussof mentions how Calatrava's apartments are conceived as self-contained urban refuges, $30,000,000 prestige objects for the global elites: "If they differ in spirit from the Vanderbilt mansions of the past, it is only in that they promise to be more conspicuous. They are paradises for aesthetes."<ref>Nicolai Ouroussof, "The New New York Skyline", ''The New York Times'', September 5, 2004</ref>

In the Justice Ministry, [http://www.justice.gov.il/MOJHeb/PraklitotHamedina/MehozotHapraklitutVehamachlakot/HamachlakaLetafkidimMeyuhadim/ the Department For Special Roles], there is a senior investigator who checks complaints about Shabak interrogations.

== Measuring celebrity status ==

Shabak claims that it is now basing its interrogations only on psychological means. However, organizations such as [[B'Tselem]] and [[Amnesty International]] still accuse Shabak of employing physical methods that amount to torture under international conventions.

One way to measure the degree of celebrity status of starchitects would be to check how many [[Google]] hits each of them has received (researchers at [[Clarkson University]] have used this method "to establish a precise mathematical definition of fame, both in the sciences and the world at large".<ref>Mike Martin, "Scientists Use Google To Measure Fame vs. Merit", Sci-tech today.com - May 20, 2004, [http://www.sci-tech-today.com/story.xhtml?story_id=24133&page=1]</ref>

In [[2002]] the Israeli [[Knesset]] passed a law, regulating the activity of Shabak. The law ruled that:

Architect [[Michael Sorkin]] has analysed a more specific example, in an article titled "Does ''The New York Times'' architecture critic Herbert Mushamp keep writing about the same things?"<ref>Michael Sorkin, arch_01.06, [http://www.bbzine.com/archeplus/poll01/EXit201.html#favored]</ref> Sorkin statistically showed that Muschamp had a favored circle of architects he consistently promoted. Tied for first on the list were [[Rem Koolhaas]] and [[Frank Gehry]], who were each mentioned in 37% of Muschamp's articles. Sorkin's list: [[Rem Koolhaas]] (37%); [[Frank Gehry]] (37%); [[Peter Eisenman]] ''with'' ANY, [[Cynthia Davidson]], [[Greg Lynn]], [[Jeff Kipnis]] (28%); Peter Eisenman (22%); [[Diller Scofidio + Renfro|Elizabeth Diller and Ricardo Scofidio]] (16%); [[Phillippe Starck]] (13%); [[Christian de Portzamparc]] (13%); [[Philip Johnson]] (11%); [[Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects|Tod Williams and Billie Tsien]] (11%); [[James Stewart Polshek]] (11%); [[Jean Nouvel]] (11%); [[Robert Venturi]] (11%); [[David Childs]] (10%); [[Rafael Vinoly]] (10%); [[Zaha Hadid]] (8%); [[Greg Lynn]] (8%); Little-known architects (6%); Women not in partnership with the top cited men (6%); articles that do not mention Koolhaas, Gehry, or Eisenman (30%); [[Frank Lloyd Wright]] (11%); [[Le Corbusier]] (11%).

* The [[Prime Minister of Israel]] is in charge of the Shabak and carries ministerial responsibility for its activity. The head of the Shabak answers to the prime minister.

* The Shabak head will serve 5 years in duty, unless there is a state of emergency.

* Interrogation methods: this part was not made public.

== History ==

Of course, stardom isn't guaranteed to endure, and any list of Starchitects will vary from continent to continent. Certain architects have achieved high status within the cutting-edge architectural media while having built little or nothing: e.g in 2001 [[Time (magazine)|Time]] magazine named architect [[Greg Lynn]] one of '100 Innovators for the Next Century', the only architect to be included, despite the fact that he has built very little, though has had wide coverage in the avant-gardist architectural media and wide exposure in architectural education. Also, architects nowadays regarded as pivotal in the history of architecture may have been much admired by their contemporaries, and even honoured by professional associations, yet were virtually unknown to the general public. Trends in contemporary architectural journalism have tended to stress the fashionability of buildings. Charles Jenck's method of sustaining celebrity status for chosen architects was to fit their current projects into an ongoing history, as evident ''Architecture Today''.<ref>Charles Jencks, ''Architecture Today'', Harry N Abrams, New York, 1988.</ref> This method of journalism masked as history has often been repeated, as in ''Architects Today'' by Kester Rattenbury et al.<ref>Kester Rattenbury, Robert Bevan, Kieran Long, ''Architects Today'', Laurence King Publ., 2006.</ref> and the series ''Architecture Now'' by Philip Jodidio.<ref>Philip Jodidio, ''Architecture Now'', 1-4, New York, Taschen, 2002-2006.</ref>

=== Foundation ===

With the declaration of Israeli Independence, the '''Shin Bet''' was founded, as a branch of the [[Israel Defense Forces]], and was headed by [[Isser Harel]] (the father of Israeli Intelligence, who later headed the [[Mossad]]). Responsibility for Shin Bet activity was later moved from the IDF to the office of the [[Prime Minister of Israel|prime minister]]. During the [[1948 Arab-Israeli war]] that was declared against Israel following the Israeli independence, the Shin Bet's responsibility included only internal security affairs. It was only later that its responsibilities were extended to [[Counter-espionage]] and the monitoring of [[Israeli Arabs]] (Arabs who did not leave Israel during the 1948 war of Israeli independence and who were granted Israeli citizenship).

=== Early days ===

== A list of current Starchitects ==

In the beginning, as part of efforts to prevent anti-state activity, the Shin Bet monitored pro-[[Soviet]] opposition parties suspected of supporting the [[Soviet Union]] over [[Israel]] if the [[Cold War]] were to become an active full scale war. The political leadership, headed by [[David Ben-Gurion]], silenced publications that dealt with these activities. Only [[Uri Avneri]] successfully published about these activities in [[Haolam Hazeh]] newspaper. A great controversy was created when two Shin Bet agents were caught installing a [[bugging device]] in [[Meir Yeari]]'s office (Yeari was the leader of [[Mapam]] - a [[Socialist]] [[Zionist]] party with favorable views of the [[Soviet Union]] and [[Joseph Stalin]]).

*[[Frank Gehry]]

*[[Rem Koolhaas]]

*[[Zaha Hadid]]

*[[Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank|Norman Foster]]

*[[Santiago Calatrava]]

*[[Steven Holl]]

*[[Daniel Libeskind]]

*[[Richard Rogers]]

*[[Herzog & de Meuron]]

*[[Renzo Piano]]

*[[Jean Nouvel]]

*[[Tadao Ando]]

*[[Greg Lynn]]

One of the Shabak's most important successes, though it is often incorrectly attributed to the [[Mossad]], was to obtain a copy of the [[On the Personality Cult and its Consequences|secret speech]] made by [[Nikita Khrushchev|Khrushchev]] in 1956, when he denounced [[Joseph Stalin|Stalin]]. A Polish edition of the speech was provided to the Israeli embassy in [[Warsaw]] by the boyfriend of the secretary of a Polish communist official. The Shabak's Polish liaison officer conveyed the copy to Israel. The Israeli government then decided to share the information with the United States, who published it with Israeli approval.

==Close to Starchitect Status==

*[[Reiser+Umemoto]]

*[[Eric Owen Moss]]

*[[Will Alsop]]

*[[Thom Mayne]]

*[[Diller Scofidio + Renfro]]

*[[Rafael Moneo]]

Up until the [[Six Day War]], the Shin Bet continued to focus on [[counter-espionage]] and monitoring political activity among the Israeli Arabs. Shabak's most notable achievement in counter-espionage was the capture of Dr. [[Israel Bar]] in [[1961]] who was revealed to be a [[Soviet]] [[spy]]. Bar was a [[Lieutenant Colonel]] in the reserves, a senior security commentator and close friend of Ben-Gurion, and reached high Israeli circles. Bar was tried and sentenced to ten years in prison (which was later extended by the Supreme Court to fifteen years, following his appeal), where he died. In the same year, [[Kurt Sita]], a [[Christian]] [[Germany|German]] from the [[Sudetenland]] and a [[professor]] in the [[Technion]], was revealed as a [[Czech people|Czech]] [[spy]].

==Yesterday's starchitects==

*[[Robert Venturi]]

*[[Robert Stern]]

*[[Michael Graves]]

*[[Richard Meier]]

*[[Peter Eisenman]]

*[[Léon Krier]]

=== After the Six Day War ===

== Dead Starchitects ==

After the [[Six Day War]], Shabak efforts to monitor terrorist activity in the [[West Bank]] and [[Gaza Strip]] become a more and more dominant part of the organization activity, and today it is considered to be the major part of Shabak's mission. [[Yeshayahu Leibowitz]] warned that the control over the territories will turn Israel into a "Shabak state". However, Shabak imposed restrictions on itself in order to not harm democratic values, separation of authorities and to prevent the risk that Shabak will be used in a totalitarian manner.

*[[Frank Lloyd Wright]]

*[[Le Corbusier]]

*[[Eero Saarinen]]

*[[Marcel Breuer]]

*[[Philip Johnson]]

*[[Walter Gropius]]

*[[Adolf Loos]]

*[[James Stirling]] (1980s-90s)

*[[Aldo Rossi]] (1970s-90s)

=== NotesYears of crisis ===

During [[1984]]-[[1986]] Shabak went into a major crisis following the [[Kav 300 affair]] in which two terrorists who hijacked a bus and took hostages were executed without trial by Shabak officers, who later covered up the event and gave false testimonies. Following this affair, [[Avraam Shalom]] (then the head of Shabak) was forced to resign.

<div class="references-small">

<references />

</div>

The event resulted in the Landau committee, which regulated Shabak interrogation methods.

==See also==

[[Pritzker Prize]]

In [[1995]] a crisis followed the [[assassination]] of [[Israeli Prime Minister]] [[Itzhak Rabin]] by [[Yigal Amir]]. Following the Shabak's failure to protect Rabin, [[Carmi Gillon]] was forced to resign. Later, the [[Meir Shamgar|Shamgar]] investigation committee learned of serious flaws in the personal security unit and the provocative and inciting behavior of [[Avishai Raviv]] - an [[Agent provocateur]] of the Shin Bet Jewish Unit. Raviv obtained a "[[photoshop]]ped" picture of Rabin in an [[SS]] uniform, and presented it in the infamous [[Zion Square]] demonstration in Jerusalem prior to Rabin's murder.

Gillon was replaced by outside "import", [[Israeli Navy]] [[admiral]] [[Ami Ayalon]]. Ayalon rehabilitated Shabak after Rabin's murder and worked hard to restore its reputation with the general public.

In [[1996]], a unit of the Shabak assassinated [[Hamas]] chief bombmaker [[Yahya Ayyash]] by planting an explosive device in his [[cellular phone]]. The operation was carried out after an instruction by then Prime Minister [[Shimon Peres]].

=== During the al-Aqsa Intifada ===

{{SectOR}}

In 2000, Ayalon ended his 5-years term and he was replaced by veteran Shabak official, [[Avi Dichter]]. Dichter, an ex-[[Sayeret Matkal]] [[commando]] and an experienced Shabak [[espionage|agent]], tightened the working relationship with the [[Israeli Defence Forces]] and the [[Israeli police]]. Foreign press hinted that Shabak is working tightly with the elite Israeli counter-terror unit, [[YAMAM]].

Dichter was in charge when the [[al-Aqsa Intifada]] erupted. He managed to react quickly to changes and turn Shabak into a prominent player in Israel's war against [[Palestinians]] after the collapse of the [[2000 Camp David Summit]].

The Shin Bet is most known for its role in the conflict with [[Palestinians]]. The Shin Bet produces intelligence which enables the [[Israeli Defence Forces]] (IDF) to prevent [[suicide bombing]]s before they reach their destinations. This is usually done by preventive arrests and deploying road blocks when there is a serious alert.

In addition to preventing [[suicide bombing]]s from the West Bank by arrests and special operations, Shabak is working tightly with the [[Israeli Air Force]] in order to pinpoint and kill terror masterminds and terrorist leaders by precision [[air strike]]. The targets are field commanders and senior leaders of Palestinian militant factions (which Israel consider as terrorists), mainly those of [[Hamas]], but also of the [[Palestinian Islamic Jihad|Islamic Jihad]], the [[Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades]], the [[Fatah]] and even one [[Al-Qaeda]] linkman ([[Iad Al-Bik]]). These assassinations, called "[[targeted killings]]", are usually done by [[helicopter gunship]]s, where both IAF commanders and Shabak agents sit together in the command center monitoring the operation. Shabak's task is giving intelligence when and where the target will be available for a strike and then reacting to IAF [[UAV|drone]] feedback and ensuring the men on the sight are indeed the wanted terrorists (this part is called "identification and incrimination").

Shabak's effective activity during the second Intifada boosted its reputation both among the Israeli public and [[counter-terror]] experts. [http://www.fas.org/irp/world/israel/shin_bet/m052504.html]

=== 2003 to 2006 ===

In November 2003, four former heads of Shin Bet ([[Avraham Shalom]], [[Yaakov Peri]], [[Carmi Gillon]] and [[Ami Ayalon]]) called upon the Government of Israel to reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians. [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1096286,00.html].

[[Ami Ayalon]], along with Palestinian professor [[Sari Nusseibeh]], launched the ''[[National Census]]'' peace initiative.

[[Avi Dichter]] is one of the chief supporters of building a defence barrier against Palestinians in the [[West Bank]]. The Israeli government began building the [[Israeli West Bank Barrier]] in [[2003]]. Dichter has since said that the barrier 'is working' and helps to prevent and reduce [[terror]] attacks. [http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=397404&displayTypeCd=1&sideCd=1&contrassID=2], [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/12/17/wmid17.xml&sSheet=/portal/2003/12/17/ixportal.html&secureRefresh=true&_requestid=229966]

In February [[2005]], [[Ariel Sharon]] announced that [[Yuval Diskin]], a veteran Shabak field agent, senior negotiator with Palestinian officers and mastermind of the "targeted killings", will replace Dichter after he ends his five-year term. On [[May 15]], [[2005]] Diskin entered into office after Dichter left with great applause from the press, the politicians, and the public. Dichter has joined the political arena and is now a member of the [[Kadima]] party, founded by the former [[Israeli]] prime minister [[Ariel Sharon]].

In September 2006, the Shin Bet, launched its first-ever public recruitment drive with the creation of a [http://www.shabak.gov.il Web site]. The employment campaign, coming on the heels of a newly approved defense budget, is targeting computer programmers.

===Rising Profile===

Once considered a commitment to lifelong anonymity and even invisibility in Israeli society, today a Shabak agent who achieves high rank in the service, especially the director, is considered a candidate for membership in the top brass of the Israeli government and business community. This process follows a trend started by ex-generals and colonels of the Israel Defense Forces, the trailblazers including [[Moshe Dayan]], [[Ariel Sharon]], and [[Yitzhak Rabin]]. In the Shabak and the foreign intelligence [[Mossad]] service, the trend showed up much later (During mid-[[1990s]]), even though Isser Harel (who served as head of both services) and Meir Amit of the Mossad both served as lawmakers.

Ex-Shabak directors today are increasingly visible as candidates for higher office. Yaakov Peri became the chairman of Bank HaMizrahi in 2002, and also became a highly visible guest on television programs. Carmi Gillon serves as Chairman of the Local Council of [[Mevaseret Zion]], Jerusalem's most affluent suburb, while Avi Dichter and Ami Ayalon were at one time leading candidates for defense minister (Dichter for the Kadima party formed by prime minister Ariel Sharon, Ayalon on the Labour party ticket). Dichter eventually became Minister of Internal Security in the current government led by [[Ehud Olmert]]. Ayalon has attracted widespread following as a co-initiator with Palestinian dignitary Sari Nusseibeh of the non-governmental Peoples' Voice initiative to petition the governments in Israel and the Palestinian Authority for a permanent settlement.

== Criticism ==

The so-called "[[Shabak technique]]" is an extreme [[interrogation]] technique that is used by the Shin Bet on [[Palestinian]] suspects. It has never officially been confirmed by the secretive Shin Bet as acceptable for use. Informal accounts by prisoners indicate it may involve forcing the subject to sit on a short stool or chair which is angled forward (so it's impossible to sit in a comfortable, stable position) and then tying their arms and legs behind them to the chair, while also covering their head with a bag and possibly subjecting them to extremely loud noise, such as music. The subject is then left in this condition for extended periods of time. Sleep is not allowed for the duration.

This method was considered by the Israeli Supreme Court on September 6, 1999, which prohibited this method, along with all other forms of torture and physical pressure. In 2000 an official Israeli government report was released, after being kept secret for five years, in which the government admitted torturing Palestinian detainees between 1988 and 1992.

On May 6, 2007 two human rights organizations released a report in which they charge the Shin Bet of continuing its torture techniques despite a court ruling in 1999 prohibiting such techniques. The report is based on testimony from 73 prisoners who were in Shin Bet custody between March 2005 and July 2006. The report continues with descriptions of these techniques, all of which are classified as torture under international law: physical beatings, painful binding, back bending, and body stretching and prolonged sleep deprivation.

Furthermore, the report criticizes the lack of accountability within the Shin Bet stating that despite over 500 complaints of abuse made to the attorney's office since 2001, no criminal investigation was launched as complaints are investigated by a member of the Shin Bet.

[http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/856142.html]

== Lists and tables ==

=== Important events in Shabak history ===

* [[1948]]: the Shabak is founded as the ''Shin Bet'' and is one of the three secret services in Israel along with the Military Intelligence and the Foreign Intelligence (later, the [[Mossad]]).

* [[1956]]: the Shabak obtains a copy of Khrushchev's speech denouncing Stalin.

* [[1961]]: the Shabak expose Doctor [[Israel Bar]] as a [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Espionage|spy]].

* [[1984]]: the [[Kav 300 Affair]], two terrorists hijacked a [[bus]] and after IDF SF and Shabak regained control over the bus, [[Avraam Shalom]] ordered the killing of the two terrorists who were captured alive, and [[Danny Yatom]] knocked their skulls in with a brick. The officers involved tried to cover this up.

* [[1987]]: the Izat Nafsu affair, when an officer was cleared from spy charges, and Shabak was highly criticized for his methods and norms.

* [[1995]]: the [[assassination]] of [[Yitzhak Rabin]] by [[Yigal Amir]] and the failure of Shabak to prevent it.

* [[1996]]: the Shabak assassinates [[Hamas]] top bombmaker [[Yahya Ayyash]].

* [[2000]]-[[2005]]: the [[al-Aqsa Intifada]] and Shabak main role in intelligence gathering and [[counter-terror]] efforts. [[Avraam Dichter]] received high credit for Shabak part in thwarting hundreds of [[suicide attack]]s and the [[assassination|targeted assassination]] of terrorist leaders.

=== Heads of the Shabak ===

* [[Isser Harel]] (1948&ndash;1952)

* [[Izi Dorot]] (1952&ndash;1953)

* [[Amos Manor]] (1953&ndash;1963)

* [[Yossef Harmelin]] (1964&ndash;1974)

* [[Avraam Ahitov]] (1974&ndash;1981)

* [[Avraam Shalom]] (1981&ndash;1986)

* [[Yossef Harmelin]] (1986&ndash;1988)

* [[Yaakov Peri]] (1988&ndash;1994)

* [[Carmi Gillon]] (1995&ndash;1996)

* [[Ami Ayalon]] (1996&ndash;2000)

* [[Avi Dichter]] (2000&ndash;2005)

* [[Yuval Diskin]] (2005&ndash;)

==Shabak in Popular Culture==

* [[Shin Bet]] operative Dahlia Tal appears in the [[Ubisoft]] video game [[Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow]]. As a jest, when Lambert brings up the Shin Bet, Fisher replies with "Spooky. Who are we torturing?"

* [[Shin Bet]] agents appear several times in Joel Rosenberg's book The Copper Scroll.

== See also ==

* [[Israel Security Forces]]

* [[Israel Defence Forces]]

* [[MAGAV]]

* [[Mossad]]

* [[YAMAM]]

* [[Security agency]]

== External links ==

* [http://www.triplemintshabak.comgov.il/ StarchitectShabak ProjectsOfficial inwebsite New York(Hebrew)]

* [http://www.fas.org/irp/world/israel/shin_bet/ Shin Bet] ([[Federation of American Scientists|FAS]])

* [http://www.fas.org/irp/world/israel/shin_bet/m052504.html "Return of the Shin Bet" By Omri Essenheim] ([[Maariv]], [[25 May]] [[2004]] - reprint at FAS)

* [http://www.btselem.org/english/legal_documents/HC5100_94_19990906_Torture_Ruling.PDF Text of the 1999 High Court of Justice ruling] (PDF)

* [http://www.btselem.org/english/torture/background.asp B'tselem report on Shabak's use of torture]

* [http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3230365,00.html Knesset said "No" to Shabak]

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/637293.stm BBC - Israel admits torture]

[[Category:Intelligence agencies]]

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