HJS Friends of Israel Report FINAL_HJS Friends of Israel Report FINAL.qxd 06/02/2014 09:55 Page 9 ADDED VALUE: ISRAEL’S STRATEGIC WORTH TO THE EU AND ITS MEMBER STATES after take-off from Britain.19 Additionally, in 2009, In early 2013, the EU voted to finally blacklist the Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (the ‘Underwear organisation,26 after it sent a suicide bomber to the Bomber’) nearly took down a Detroit-bound jet that resort town of Burgas, Bulgaria,27 killing a Bulgarian was flying from Amsterdam on Christmas Day, an bus driver and five Israeli tourists and injuring 30 20 ore. That same year, Cyprus convicted a Hezbollah attack that would have killed hundreds. m operative of planning a similar strike on its soil.28 The With their publics reminded of the ever-present threat blacklist, regrettably, was not of Hezbollah itself, but of terrorism, EU governments have dramatically of its so-called ‘armed wing’, despite experts’ upgraded security collaboration with Israel – the US assessments that no such division within the group earch Service, for example, notes a Congressional Res exists.29 Still, Jerusalem reacted to the designation by significant increase in Germany’s intelligence promising vital intelligence to help the EU enforce the co-operation with Jerusalem, since 9/11.21 Likewise, d Hezbollah since Britain regularly receives vital intelligence from Israel, move. Israel, after all, has monitore on Iran and other chief state sponsors of terrorism. its inception in south Lebanon, three decades ago, and has deeper and more actionable intelligence on it than Con Coughlin, The Telegraph’s defence correspondent, any other country in the world.30 has written that Britain is so reliant on Israeli According to Yossi Kuperwasser (director of Israel’s intelligence that it simply “cannot afford a diplomatic Ministry of International Relations and Strategic rift”,22 and a former top-level Mossad agent observed (immodestly; but, perhaps not inaccurately) that, in Affairs, and a veteran of the country’s intelligence the intelligence field, Israel has “more to offer than establishment), for several years, Israeli and European receive” from the UK.23 intelligence communities have been meeting every few months in Europe, for high-level briefings on One of the foremost dangers to Europe’s security today European security. “You don’t even have to pay us,” is Hezbollah. The Iran-funded Lebanese terror outfit he joked. “We consider Europe’s security to be part of has targeted Europeans for decades: from the 1983 our security; when Europe is insecure, so is Israel – bombing of French barracks in Beirut, killing 55; to a and vice versa.” 31 Mark Heller, a veteran security ng of an Athens-to-Rome jet; to more than expert at Tel Aviv University, added, “Israel may not 1985 hijacki a dozen bombings in Paris, in 1985 and 1986, that killed have much to provide the EU on the IRA or Corsican 24 t do 13 people. Other attacks – some successful, others not separatists; but, i es know quite a bit about radical – targeted Germany, Italy, and Denmark.25 Islamists.”32 19 Duncan Gardham, “Airline terror trial: The bomb plot to kill 10,000 people,” 26 “EU ministers agree to blacklist Hezbollah’s armed wing,” BBC News, 22 July The Telegraph, 7 September 2009, available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ 2013, available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23397003 news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/6153243/Airline-terror-trial-The-bomb- (accessed 19 November 2013). plot-to-kill-10000-people.html (accessed 19 November 2013). 27 “Hezbollah suspected in Bulgaria bus bombing,” Al Jazeera, 5 February 2013, 20 “Underwear bomber Abdulmutallab sentenced to life,” BBC News, av lable at: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/02/ ai 16 Feb ruary 2012, available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us- 20132515350158754.html (accessed 8 November 2013). canada-17065130 (accessed 13 December 2013). 28 Michael Birnbaum, “Cyprus convicts Hezbollah operative,” 21 Paul Belkin, “Germany’s Relations with Israel: Background and Implications The Washington Post, 22 March 2013, available at: for German Middle East Policy,” Congressional Research Service (2007), http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-03-21/world/37904215_1_ available at: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33808.pdf; see also: Shlomo hezbollah-shiite-militant-group-israeli-tourists (accessed 8 November 2013). Shpiro, “Intelligence Services and Foreign Policy: German-Israeli Intellige nce 29 Matthew Levitt, “On a Military Wing and a Pra an yer,” Foreign Policy, d Military Cooperation,” German Politics, Vol. 11, No. 1, April 2002. 12 February 2013, available at: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/ 22 Con Coughlin, “Britain cannot afford a diplomatic rift with Israel,” articles/2013/02/12/on_military_wing_prayer_hezbollah_europe_bulgaria The Telegraph, 3 December 2012, available at: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/ (accessed 2 December 2013). news/concoughlin/100192487/britain-cannot-afford-a-diplomatic- 30 Herb Keinon, “Israel to start supplying EU with intel on Hezbollah,” rift-with-israel/ (accessed 5 November 2013). The Jerusalem Post, 24 July 2013, available at: http://www.jpost.com/ 23 Yaakov Lappin, “Politically motivated move, blow to intelligence-sharing Diplomacy-and-Politics/After-terrorist-designation-Israel-to-begin- ,” giving-intel-on- The Jerusalem Post, 24 March 2010, available at: http://www.jpost.com/ Hezbollah-to-EU-enforcement-officials-320878 Israel/Politically-motivated-move-blow-to-intelligence-sharing (accessed 4 November 2013). (accessed 6 November 2013). 31 Author interview, 25 November 2013. 24 Matthew Levitt, “Matthew Levitt: Hezbollah’s European enablers,” 32 Author interview, 19 November 2013. Heller added, “Israel has intensive National Post, 11 March, 2013, available at: military relationships with EU states, especially its leading military powers: http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/03/11/matthew-levitt- Britain, France, Germany, and Italy. There are high-level strategic dialogues, hezbollahs-european-enablers/ (accessed 2 December 2013). which involve annual meetings where analysis is shared and exch anged. 25 See: Mat thew Levitt, “Hezbollah’s European Debut,” There is also, of course, intelligence exchange, mostly to do with in Hezbollah: The Global Footprint of Lebanon’s Party of God counterterrorism. These aren’t in the public domain; but, they deal mainly (Washington: Georgetown, 2013), pp. 49-74. with information and methodology.” 7