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:''For the ethnic group, see [[Shabak people]].''
[[Image:ShabakLogo.gif|thumb|100px|Shabak emblem "Defender who shall not be seen"]]
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).
== Duties and roles ==
{{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]]).
== Legal status and methods ==
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]
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.
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.
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.
In [[2002]] the Israeli [[Knesset]] passed a law, regulating the activity of Shabak. The law ruled that:
* 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 ==
=== 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 ===
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]]).
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.
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]].
===
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.
=== Years 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.
The event resulted in the Landau committee, which regulated Shabak interrogation methods.
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]].
===
{{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]
===
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
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]
=== 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.
===
* [[Isser Harel]] (1948–1952)
* [[Izi Dorot]] (1952–1953)
* [[Amos Manor]] (1953–1963)
* [[Yossef Harmelin]] (1964–1974)
* [[Avraam Ahitov]] (1974–1981)
* [[Avraam Shalom]] (1981–1986)
* [[Yossef Harmelin]] (1986–1988)
* [[Yaakov Peri]] (1988–1994)
* [[Carmi Gillon]] (1995–1996)
* [[Ami Ayalon]] (1996–2000)
* [[Avi Dichter]] (2000–2005)
* [[Yuval Diskin]] (2005–)
==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.
* [[Israel Security Forces]]
* [[Israel Defence Forces]]
* [[MAGAV]]
* [[Mossad]]
* [[YAMAM]]
* [[Security agency]]
== External links ==
* [http://www.shabak.gov.il/ Shabak Official website (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]]
[[Category:Israeli Security Forces]]
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[[he:שירות ביטחון כללי]]
[[nl:Shin Bet]]
[[ja:シャバック]]
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[[sv:SHABAK]]
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