Amir Rapaport
25/12/2014
The Minister of Public Security in an exclusive interview about the lessons derived from Operation Protective Edge regarding the home front, about the arguments with IMOD and about fighting terrorism and crime
"The Cyber & IT Revolution is an Opportunity"
The war in the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2014 broke out only three months after the dissolution of the Home Front Defense Ministry and even before the issue of whom the authority of this ministry would be delegated to was resolved. Temporarily, it was determined that the authority will be delegated, until November 1, to the Ministry of Defense, but the Minister of Public Security, (and former Police Major-General) Yitzhak Aharonovitch has no doubt as to where this authority should be delegated permanently: to his ministry, of course.
"I have a world view regarding the responsibilities," says the minister in an exclusive interview to Israel Defense, in anticipation of the International HLS Conference which is to be held in Tel-Aviv in November, and where he will be one of the primary speakers.
"The commissions of inquiry established pursuant to the Second Lebanon War, and the recent events in the south only consolidated and honed my concept. I was a part of those commissions as a Member of Knesset. We had spoken, as far back as eight years ago, about the need to 'organize and sort out' the responsibilities regarding the home front. Back then, I came up with a concept according to which the Ministry of Public Security will be responsible for everything associated with the home front during peacetime, using its own forces and the organizations subordinated to it. In an emergency – pursuant to a natural disaster, for example – it will still be responsible for the home front. According to that concept, only in a wartime situation will a decision as to who should be in charge be made by the Prime Minister or the cabinet, according to the severity of the situation."
The issue of who is responsible for the operations of the various rear-area emergency services – Police, Fire and Red Magen David (ambulance service), as well as the IDF Home Front Command and the emergency organs of the various government ministries – is much more than a personal conflict between the Minister of Public Security, Aharonovitch, and Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon. As could be expected, the decision regarding the assignment of responsibilities, which should have been made in early November, was delayed by several weeks at least, owing to the events of Operation Protective Edge, but the argument rages on, and it has been going on for years. In the past, countless committees ruled that the Ministry of Public Security should be responsible for the home front – not the IDF and Home Front Command who should concentrate on the fighting at the front. Admittedly, there were other views (like the opinion of the present State Comptroller, who recommends that full responsibility be assigned to IMOD and IDF).
The Home Front Defense Ministry, which was dissolved after having been in existence only a few years, was unable to 'take off' owing to fierce opposition on the part of the IDF Home Front Command and IMOD. The Ministry operated the National Emergency Authority (RACHEL), established pursuant to the Second Lebanon War. The Authority, temporarily headed (since the dissolution) by Bezalel Treiber, who also serves as Head of IMOD's Logistics, Administration, & Property Directorate, was reinstated – prior to the last war – to IMOD, in the context of which it had been established initially and where it operated before being transferred to the Home Front Defense Ministry.
The proponents of the reinstatement of RACHEL to IMOD claim that only IMOD and IDF – solid organizations with substantial budgets – can truly be responsible for everything that happens in the rear area during emergencies, which was proven during the severe snow storm Israel experienced in December 2013, "…as in tough situations, only the organs of the IDF really function."
Convincing? Not as far as Minister Aharonovitch is concerned.
"When the debate regarding the dissolution of the Home Front Defense Ministry broke out, several discussions were held in which I presented my position," says the minister. "Naturally, IMOD claimed all along that 'war' and 'emergency' are one and the same, and only routine situations should be assigned to the responsibility of the Public Security Ministry. The conclusion of the government's decision was that the Defense Minister and Public Security Minister should reach agreements cooperatively, but the entire issue remained unresolved. We have already presented our unequivocal position to Defense Minister Ya'alon, but he has not responded yet.
"Now, if we refer to Operation Protective Edge, we will realize that it was proven, in my view, that our concept is the right one. The luckiest thing about the fighting last summer was the high percentage of missile interceptions scored by the Iron Dome system. Imagine that the interception effort had not been so successful and that massive destruction had been sustained – who, do you think, would have been responsible? I intend to present my opinion, of which I have only become more convinced, to the Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee of the Knesset that investigates the events of the war. I believe that with the exception of an extreme catastrophe, every situation should be assigned to the responsibility of the Public Security Ministry. In the event of an extremely severe situation, the Public Security Minister or the Prime Minister should ask for assistance from the defense establishment."
Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch was appointed to head the Ministry of Public Security about five years ago, as a member of the "Israel Beytenu" (Israel Our Home, in Hebrew) party, after a long career in the Israel Police, from which he was discharged at the rank of Major-General.
Minister Aharonovitch made frequent field excursions during the fighting in the Gaza Strip last summer, and since the events in the South had ended, he has found himself extremely concerned and preoccupied by the increasing violence in Eastern Jerusalem.
Let's get back to the south. In your view, should the settlements adjacent to the fence surrounding the Gaza Strip be under the responsibility of the police elements during wartime?
"In my view, the entire area around the Gaza Strip, adjacent to the fence, should remain under the responsibility of IDF."
So where should the jurisdiction of your Ministry and the Police begin?
"Beyond the road that delineates the settlements adjacent to the Strip, just like the settlement located adjacent to the border with Lebanon that are under the full responsibility of the IDF division in charge of that sector. Everything that happens further inland, in the rear area, should be the responsibility of the Israel Police."
But in reality, everyone is subordinated to the military…
"In fact, during Operation Protective Edge, the (emergency) services operated under our command and received their missions from me. RACHEL also operated under our plans. Bezalel Treiber, for example, attended my meetings. After the Second Lebanon War, the State Comptroller claimed that the Israel Police addressed fields of activity that were not their responsibility. The Police claimed, on the other hand, that a vacuum had formed so they took action. Even in the case of the massive fire on the Carmel ridge a few years ago, I assumed command over the situation. I did not need the responsibility to be assigned to me by anyone. I was already on the ground. This was my responsibility. What did the military do? They sent me generators, helicopters and other resources – and it worked fine. So, when the Home Front Defense Ministry was dissolved, I said 'let's take this model and run with it'."
Did you support the dissolution of the Home Front Defense Ministry?
"Yes, but subject to the understanding that the responsibility will be delegated to me. Even the Home Front Defense Minister, Gilad Erdan, thought so. He wanted a year or two to address a few issues and tie a few loose ends, at which time he would have handed the authority over to the Ministry of Public Security, but that did not happen, for political reasons."
Personal Security
According to Aharonovitch, one of the most incorrect decisions in Israel's history was the decision made pursuant to the surge of terrorist attacks in the 1970s, namely – to assign full responsibility for internal security, including the war against terrorism, to the Israel Police.
"As soon as the Police assumed that responsibility, it went crazy," says the minister. "They recruited many individuals who knew a great deal about shooting, but practically nothing about police investigations. Everything was geared toward personal security and counterterrorism and everything associated with it – explosives, YAMAM (the specialist counterterrorism unit) and so forth. There was no other choice, but that had an adverse effect on the Police professionally – with regard to law enforcement, public order and investigations. Now we have to look for the proper balance between those fields."
Aharonovitch is very proud of the fact that during his term in office, the police budget increased substantially and 3,000 personnel complement positions were added, enabling the recruitment of young personnel.
Where do you see the opportunity for a quantum leap in the operations of the Israel Police? Do you see it in technology?
"There are a few things that need to be done – for example the issue of cyber warfare is highly important. I meet with many officials from other countries, and that is always the first topic they speak to me about."
By "cyber" do you refer to offensive cyber or defensive cyber?
"Both. The defense issue is very important. The National Cyber Bureau is involved in it and the police is in the picture, too. But even the cyber warfare field provides opportunities. Consequently, we established a cyber warfare unit within the Police and allocated close to 100 personnel complement positions to it. At the same time, we have substantially reinforced our SigInt unit. Avi Dichter, who was ISA Chief and Minister of Public Security, attempted to promote these things during his term, as he had hailed from the ISA. I invest a lot in this activity. I summoned officers from Unit 8200 (the primary intelligence collection unit of the IDF Intelligence Directorate), I provided equipment – the objective is not just to solve criminal incidents and crack open the organizational structure of the crime families, but also to prevent criminal activities."
Do you mean that the objective is to prevent criminal activities in advance?
"Certainly. For example, it is our duty to arrest underworld assassins before they pull the switch of some explosive charge. I sat with people from (Unit) 8200 in order to learn how they do it in the context of the war against terrorism. We must act to prevent car bombs and assassinations, as these events undermine the personal security of the public. I told the head of my SigInt unit, a Brigadier-General: 'Take 100 million NIS per year and advance this activity.' The Police had the basis but not the ability to engage in those communication research efforts and compile those giant databases. A part of this change depends on appropriate legislation and authorizations I have to obtain, and other parts are based on the existing information pools. In any case, my intention is this: if someone goes out on a motorcycle to shoot someone else – he should be arrested beforehand."
The most significant revolution involves information. Don't you think that the Israel Police is way behind in technology? Is it really up to the task of entering the worlds of the information overflow era?
"There is still a lot to be done. The technological issue and the extensive use of cellular communication can really be regarded as a revolution."
Where are the other major gaps of the Police?
"What are we short of? Intelligence, mainly with regard to the Arab sector, despite the fact that we had established minorities units and sections and deployed additional field coordinators in order to reach intelligence sources.
"On the issue of public order we are in fairly good shape. With regard to crime – especially criminal organizations – there is room for improvement. There is room for advancement with regard to intelligence analysis, too. Intelligence analysis in the IDF and ISA is carried out according to higher standards than the intelligence analysis done by the Police, and I spoke to the Commissioner about it. The objective is to be able to analyze data and provide real products that would help cope with the challenges. Everyone understands that.
"In addition to the processes inside the Police, I have not yet completed the process of establishing a strategic directorate within the Ministry of Public Security. We have a very strong civil element, which promotes such initiatives as 'City without Violence', but no strategic directorate."
National Air Squadron
The Minister of Public Security revealed in this interview that he is promoting a plan for the establishment of a national air squadron for policing, firefighting and rescue missions.
He stated that pursuant to the Carmel ridge fire disaster, all of the firefighting responsibilities, previously assigned to the municipal authorities, were delegated to the Ministry of Public Security, and a major reform was initiated within the Israel Fire and Rescue Services (headed by former Police Maj. Gen. Shahar Ayalon who, in early November 2014, is regarded as one of the candidates for the position of the next Commissioner of the Israel Police), but the national firefighting squadron was established within the IAF rather than as part of the Israel Fire and Rescue Services. Now, the leaders of the Ministry have a new revolution in mind.
"The reform in the Israel Fire and Rescue Services was one of the most comprehensive in Israeli history," says Aharonovitch. "Until the Carmel ridge fire, there was no unified command center and two different fire trucks could not even communicate between them – let alone establish contact with the Police or other emergency services. Look where they are today. Only pursuant to that tragic disaster were budgets made available for advanced firefighting equipment and new legislation was enacted.
"Now, we plan to purchase four more aircraft in addition to the 7-8 aircraft the Police currently has. The plan is for the extended fleet to serve the Fire and Rescue Services as well as the Police, and possibly Red Magen David as well, for the purpose of evacuating casualties, in the event that the ambulance service is subordinated to the responsibility of our ministry. In fact, the intention is to establish an air squadron for the emergency and rescue services. In the context of the plan, we will renew the entire helicopter fleet of the Police. We will purchase dual-engine helicopters and helicopters designed especially to fight fires in high-rise buildings, after having purchased a new aircraft for the Police just recently."
How do you regard international cooperative alliances?
"I travel to numerous meetings around the world, and on the other hand – we have quite a few international visitors. For example, the Canadian minister has visited Israel recently, and we signed a cooperation agreement with the Indian Ministry of Internal Security, on which we had worked for not less than three years. We have quite a few cooperative alliances with the US Department of Homeland Security, which include the joint development of measures. In the context of the HLS Conference, an international convention of police commissioners will be held in Israel. As far as we are concerned, international cooperation is a real force multiplier."
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