Western States/St. Louis Counter-Terrorism Seminar in Israel

From March 19 - 28, 2017, the commanders experienced Israel from the high-tech city of Tel Aviv to the Old City of Jerusalem to the towns of Bethlehem and Nazareth, from the West Bank to the Golan Heights. The group also visited Yad Vashem, Israel’s national Holocaust memorial museum. They heard firsthand from Arab-Israelis, IDF commanders, a survivor of a suicide bomb bus attack, residents of a kibbutz on the Gaza border, police experts and scholars including representatives of the Israel National Police, the Israel Defense Forces and in Bethlehem, the Palestinian Police Authority. Police executives from the U.S. study how law enforcement operates in Israel, learn how they confront the challenges of terrorism first-hand, and understand beyond media stereotypes. They encounter day-to-day police responsibilities and learn from academics and police officials on the ground, and to understand how that can impact the work in their own departments. The returning police chiefs are sharing their experience with city council members, ADL allies and law enforcement and community partners. The trip was made possible by private funding.