Order of the Solar Temple and Shin Bet: Difference between pages

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The '''Order of the Solar Temple''' also known as '''Ordre du Temple Solaire''' ('''OTS''') in [[French language|French]], and the ''' International Chivalric Organization of the Solar Tradition''' or simply as '''The Solar Temple''' was a [[secret society]] based upon the [[new age]] myth of the continuing existence of the [[Knights Templar]] (see ''Origins of the Solar Temple'' below). OTS was purportedly started by '''''Joseph di Mambro''''' and '''''[[Luc Jouret]]''''' in [[1984]] in [[Geneva]] as ''l'Ordre International Chevaleresque de Tradition Solaire'' (OICTS) and renamed ''Ordre du Temple Solaire''. It is believed that other members were also involved who have remained unknown to the public.

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

'''NOTE:''' While a great deal of the material below is repeated in many articles and books written by journalists, much information about the Solar Temple remains unverified. There were few official documents and no official spokespersons that can document the beliefs and practices of this Neo-Templar splinter group. Ex-member accounts can be contradictory, as their statements are often based upon [[hearsay]] from other members, or are allegations that were never responded to by the members of the group. The group received little publicity until after the tragedy which killed most, if not all, of its leaders. The only information presented below is that which is generally undisputed.

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

==Dogma and Beliefs of the Solar Temple==

According to "Peronnik" (a pseudonym of temple member Robert Chabrier) in his book, "Pourquoi la Resurgence de l'Ordre du Temple? Tome Premier: Le Corps (Why a Templar Revival? Vol. One: The Body) [[1975]], pp. 147-149, the aims of the OTS included: establishing "correct notions of authority and power in the world"; an affirmation of the primacy of the spiritual over the temporal; assisting humanity through a great "transition"; and preparing for the [[Second Coming]] of [[Jesus]] as a solar god-king and furthering a unification of all Christian churches and [[Islam]].

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).

==Founders of the Solar Temple==

== Duties and roles ==

It is stated that the OTS absorbed another neo-templar organization called ''Foundation Golden Way'', which was led by '''''Joseph Di Mambro''''' ([[1926]] - [[1995]]), who was born at [[Pont Saint-Esprit]] in [[France]]. Before founding the OTS, Joseph Di Mambro was also part of a [[Rosicrucian]] organization called [[AMORC]] (Ancient and Mystical Order Rosae Crucis), from [[1956]] to [[1970]]. Di Mambro, who had been trained as a clock maker and jeweler, became interested in esoteric religions at an early age. He was arrested on swindling charges which prompted his resettlement in Switzerland.

{{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]]).

'''''Luc Jouret''''' was born in [[1947]] and died in [[1994]] in [[Granges-sur-Salvan]], [[Switzerland]], as part of the tragedy which ended the group's formal existence. He was the other publicly acknowledged founder of the OTS. Born in the [[Belgian Congo]], he was educated in [[medicine]] at the ''Université Libre'' in [[Brussels]], graduating in [[1974]]. He specialized in [[homeopathy]]. Jouret, who had interests in [[freemasonry]], the [[Albigenses]] and [[Cathars]], as well as many [[new age]] theories, convinced his followers that he and Di Mambro were members of the 14th Century Christian Order of the [[Knights Templar]] during a [[reincarnation|previous life]], and that Di Mambro's daughter Emanuelle was "the cosmic child". She would lead them after death to a planet which was said to revolve around the star [[Sirius]]. They claimed that Di Mambro's daughter was the result of a [[virgin birth]].

== Legal status and methods ==

There were Solar Temple Lodges in [[Morin Heights]] and [[St-Anne-de-la-Pérade]] in [[Quebec]], [[Canada]], as well as in [[Australia]], Switzerland, [[Martinique]] and other countries. The Temple's activities were a mix of early [[Protestant]] [[christianity]], mixed with a [[new age]] philosophy and [[homeopathic medicine]], using variously adapted freemasonic rituals. Jouret was interested in attractive, wealthy and influential members, and it was reputed that several affluent Europeans were secret members of the group. There were press reports that executives of [[Quebec]]'s [[Hydro-Quebec]] were building dams at the behest of Jouret, in order to provide electricity for a Quebecois colony that would exist after the group's prophesied [[doomsday]] event.

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]

==Structure of the OTS==

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.

According to the literature of the OTS, the central authority was the ''Synarchy of the Temple'', whose membership was secret. Its top 33 members were known as the ''Elder Brothers of the Rosy Cross'' (an alternative name for the [[Rosicrucians]]), and were headquartered in [[Zürich]], Switzerland. The Council of the Order formed [[Lodge]]s which were run by a Regional Commander and three Elders. Progression in the Order was by levels and grades, with three grades per level - the levels being ''The Brothers of Parvis'', ''The Knights of the Alliance'' and the ''Brothers of the Ancient Times'' in ascending order. There were many organizations associated with the OTS including the ''International Archedia Sciences and Tradition'', ''Archedia Clubs'', ''Menta Clubs'', ''Agata Clubs'' and ''Atlanta Clubs'', all of which offered the teachings of Luc Jouret both to the general public and privately to OTS members. The Lodges had [[altars]], rituals and costumes. Members were initiated at each stage of advancement in ceremonies which included expensive purchases, jewellery, costumes, [[regalia]], and the payment of [[initiation]] fees. Members believed in [[reincarnation]] and held that Di Mambro and Jouret would lead them, after the members died, to a planet near the star of Sirius. During ceremonies, members wore [[Crusader]]-type robes and were to hold in awe a [[sword]] which Di Mambro said was an authentic Templar artifact, given to him a thousand years ago in a previous life.

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.

==Origins of the Solar Temple==

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:

Various contemporary groups perceive themselves as fulfilling the tradition of the [[Knights Templar]] — an ancient Christian Order of ''warrior monks'', authorized by the Pope during the [[Crusades]], that had amassed great wealth and possessed great treasures. These treasures are variously speculated to be the [[Holy Grail]], the head of [[Baphomet]], proof of the survival of the historical Jesus after the [[crucifixion]] and/or marriage to [[Mary Magdalene]]. This wealth of the Templars disappeared without a trace after the leaders of the group were branded as heretics and burned at the stake by the Catholic Church. Many of these neo-Templar groups believe that they share some esoteric connection to the original Templars and may purport to have knowledge of this mysterious treasure.

* 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 ==

Some historians allege that the Solar Temple originates with French author [[Jacques Breyer]] who established a ''Sovereign Order of the Solar Temple'' in [[1952]]. In [[1968]], a schismatic order was renamed the ''Renewed Order of the Solar Temple'' under the leadership of French right-wing political activist [[Julien Origas]]. Some reports have claimed that Origas was a [[Nazi]] [[SS]] member during [[World War II]]. Jouret eventually became a member of this ''Renewed Order of the Solar Temple'' (ROTS), one of dozens of self-styled neo-Templar groups in Europe, some with no connections to ROTS at all. After Origas died in [[1983]], Jouret became the presiding ''Grand Master'' of the ROTS. The group splintered one year later. It was then that Jouret and Di Mambro founded the OTS, taking a large portion of ROTS's members with them.

=== 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 ===

[[Umberto Eco]]'s ''[[Foucault's Pendulum (book)]]'' ([[1989]]) is a sophisticated satire of these [[western mystery tradition]] groups that became popular in Europe after World War II. See also [[Priory of Zion]], an article which deals with ''[[The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail]]'' by [[Michael Baigent]], [[Richard Leight]] and [[Henry Lincoln]].

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.

==The Solar Temple in Quebec==

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]].

In [[1986]] Jouret and Di Mambro moved to the Canadian province of [[Quebec]], establishing a chapter of the ''Order of the Solar Temple'' near [[Montreal]] and [[Quebec City]]. They bought a chalet complex in [[Morin Heights, Quebec|Morin Heights]], complete with indoor pool, along with a center in [[St-Anne-de-la-Pérade]]. Jouret also brought some other of his loyal followers from Switzerland. The group believed that there was going to be a coming [[global catastrophe]]. Jouret declared that "the world would soon be engulfed in warfare and famine. Only Quebec would be spared…" A "giant concrete nuclear air-raid shelter" was built in the centre to protect them during the predicted calamity.

=== After the Six Day War ===

Di Mambro also owned several luxury properties in [[Australia]], [[France]], [[Switzerland]], [[Martinique]] and elsewhere in Canada which were used for Solar Temple activities. He also married a lady named Dominique Bellaton. The couple produced Emmanuelle, their alleged "virgin birth" daughter, whom the members of the group believed would lead them to [[Sirius]].

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 ===

By the early [[1990s]], several members of the group had left, with various complaints. Jouret had been arrested for stockpiling [[firearms]] illegally in the center of Quebec, and his doomsday predictions did not seem to be panning out.

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.

==Mass murders and suicides: ''leaving the planet, destination: Sirius''==

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.

In October [[1994]] an infant, aged three months, was killed at the group's centre in [[Morin Heights]], Quebec. The baby had been stabbed repeatedly with a wooden stake. It is believed that Di Mambro ordered the murder, because he identified the baby as the [[Anti-Christ]] described in the Bible. He believed that the Anti-Christ was born into the cult in order to prevent Di Mambro from succeeding in his spiritual aim. A few days later, Di Mambro and twelve followers performed a ritual [[Last Supper]]. A few days after that, mass [[suicide]]s and [[murder]]s were conducted at two villages in Switzerland, and at Morin Heights — 15 inner circle members committed suicide with poison, 30 were killed by bullets or smothering, and 8 others were killed by other causes. Many of the bodies when found were drugged, possibly to prevent the members from objecting. The buildings were then set on fire by timer devices, purportedly as one last symbol of the group's purification.

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 western [[Switzerland]], 48 members of a sect died in another mass [[murder-suicide]]. Many of the victims were found in a secret underground [[chapel]] lined with mirrors and other items of Templar symbolism. The bodies were dressed in the order's ceremonial robes and were in a circle, feet together, heads outward, most with plastic bags tied over their heads; they had each been shot in the head. It is believed that the plastic bags were a symbol of the ecological disaster that would befall the human race after the OTS members moved on to Sirius. It is also believed that these bags were used as part of the OTS rituals, and that members would have voluntarily worn them without being placed under duress. There was also evidence that many of the victims in Switzerland were drugged before they were shot. Other victims were found in three ski chalets; several dead children were lying together. The tragedy was discovered when officers rushed to the sites to fight the fires which had been ignited by remote-control devices. Farewell letters left by the believers stated that they believed they were leaving to escape the "hypocrisies and oppression of this world."

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]].

A mayor, a journalist, a civil servant and a sales manager were found among the dead in Switzerland. Records seized by the Quebec police showed that some members had personally donated over $1 million to the cult's leader Joseph Di Mambro. There was also another attempted [[mass suicide]] of the remaining members which was thwarted in the late 1990s. All the suicide/murders and attempts occurred around the dates of the [[equinox]]es and [[solstice]]s in some relation to the beliefs of the group.

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

[[Michael Tabachnik]], an internationally renowned Swiss musician and conductor, was arrested as a leader of the Solar Temple in the late 1990s. He was indicted for "participation in a criminal organization," and [[murder]]. He came to trial in [[Grenoble]], France during the spring of [[2001]] but was acquitted.

{{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]].

It is believed that The Solar Temple group continues to exist, with thirty surviving members in Quebec at the St-Anne-de-la-Pérade center (where some of the remaining members run an [[organic food|organic]] [[bread]] bakery), with from 140 to 500 members remaining worldwide.

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.

==Bibliography==

*''Cult Members say Solar Temple Leaders Ordered Mass Suicides,'' AFP, April 19, 2001, www.rickross.com

*Darkaul, Arkon. ''A History of Secret Societies.'' (NY: Citadel, 1995)

*Davis, Eric. ''Solar Temple Pilots,'' The Village Voice (October 25, 1994)

*"French Magistrate rejects idea that outsiders killed cultists," AFP, (April 24, 2001)

*Galanter, Marc. ''Cults: Faith, Healing, and Coercion''. (New York: Oxford University Press, 1989)

*Haight, James A. ''And Now, the Solar Temple.'' Free Inquiry, Winter 1994-95.

*Hassan-Gordon, Tariq. ''Solar Temple Cult Influenced by Ancient Egypt,'' (Middle East Times, Issue 18, 2001)

*Mayer, Jean Francois. ''Apocalyptic Millennialism in the West: The Case of the Solar Temple,'' Critical Incident Analysis Group, hsc.virginia.edu, retrieved, January 4, 2003.

*Moran, Sarah. ''The Secret World of Cults''. (Surrey, England: CLB International, 1999)

*''Musician Denies Solar Temple Murders,'' The Scotsman, Edinburgh (April 18, 2001)

*Palmer, Susan. ''Purity and Danger in the Solar Temple,'' Journal of Contemporary Religion 3 (October 1996) pages 303-318

*Probert, Robert. ''Solar Temple: Tabachnik Acquitted,'' Center for New Religious Studies, (June 25, 2001)

*Ross, Rick. ''Solar Temple Suicides,'' Cult Education and Recovery, www.culteducation.com, (Sept. 1999)

*Serrill, Michael S. ''Remains of the day'', Time, (October 24, 1994)

*"Solar Temple," www.religioustolerance.org, (Jan 4, 2003)

*''Spanish cops arrest cult leader,'' Associated Press, (January 8, 1998)

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").

==External links==

*[http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/solartemp.html Religious Movements: Order of the Solar Temple (University of Virginia)]

*[http://www.religioustolerance.org/dc_solar.htm Religious Tolerance: Solar Temple] NOTE: The original text of this Wikipedia article borrowed heavily from this copyrighted site, or is it the other way around?

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]

[[Category:New Age]]

[[Category:UFOs]]

=== 2003 to 2006 ===

[[Category:Cults|OST]]

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].

[[fr:Ordre du Temple solaire]]

[[lt:Saulės šventykla (sekta)]]

[[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]] (1948–1952)

* [[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.

== See also ==

* [[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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