Israeli National Security Council
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The Israeli National Security Council (Hebrew: המועצה לביטחון לאומי) is a council established by the Prime Minister's Office in 1999 during the prime ministership of Binyamin Netanyahu in the framework of drawing lessons from the Yom Kipur War. The Council draws its authority from the government and operates according to guidelines from the Prime Minister.
Among the Council's functions are: strategic advisement to the Prime Minister, offering security recommendations to the government, joint direction and coordinations of the security arms as well as inspection and supervision of decision-making related to the security bodies. Other functions include long-term planning of security approaches, and maintaining cooperative and coordinative relations with the national security elements of selected countries.
The Council is comprised of five different wings: security policy (headed by the Deputy Prime Minister), foreign policy, society and infrastructure policy, counter-terrorism, and organization and operations. It has two advisors: legal and financial.
The Council's work and even its location are considered secret, and are undertaken outside the public's eye. Its authority is vague and the Prime Minister is not obligated to accept its recommendations, unlike with those of the Attorney General, for example. In the case where the Prime Minister lacks confidance in the Council head, this will result in the latter's resignation, since it is considered a trust-based position. The first three Council heads did not serve their full terms, which attests to the problematic nature of the position.
Among the issues which the Council engaged were the planning of the West Bank barrier and supervision over its implementation, helping to forge the Gaza disengagement plan as well as the agreement with Egypt over the Philadelphi Route.
[edit] Council heads
- Major-General David Ivri 1999-2002; former Principal Assistant for Strategic Affairs to the Israeli Minister of Defense
- Ephraim Halevi 2002-2003
- Major-General Uzi Dayan (b. 1948) 2003-2005; former ead of the Planning Branch of the IDF General staff 1993-1996, commander of the Central Command and deputy Chief of the General Staff of the IDF
- Giyora Aineland 2005-current
