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The Benefits of Decreased Security Cooperation with the PA

(BESA Center for Strategic Studies-Bar-Ilan University) Prof. Hillel Frisch - There is no doubt that security cooperation with the PA contributed to a reduction in terrorism. The questions are how much, and whether or not the Israel Security Agency and the IDF can make up the difference. Even with close security cooperation, it was Israel, not PA security forces, who apprehended at least 75% of those suspected of terrorism. Contemporary history provides a good lesson that undue reliance on external security intelligence without the building of internal capabilities can backfire - especially with regard to human intelligence, which involves building informant networks in enemy territory. A lull in security cooperation could be a blessing in disguise, leading to greater organizational innovation and self-reliance for Israel's security forces. The writer is a professor of political and Middle East studies at Bar-Ilan University and a senior research associate at its Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies.
2020-07-02 00:00:00
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