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9/11 report advises U.S. spy chiefs to learn from Israel
By Haaretz Correspondent
WASHINGTON - American intelligence services should take a leaf out of Israel's book and cooperate with its security services to learn how to acquire intelligence from human sources, says the report from the U.S. congressional inquiry into the events of September 11, 2001.
In its recommendations the report calls for a new agency that "should endeavor to learn from both the successes and failures" of Israel's "humint" (human intelligence) strategy. "Their aggressive tactics and inventive use of non-official covers may serve as a useful guide for this new agency," the report continues. "The Israelis have had notable successes in penetrating terrorist organizations and we should learn from their efforts."
The congressional panel of inquiry advises that this new agency, if established, "may also want to consider some level of partnership with the Israeli humint services, given the amount of overlap in the terrorism and proliferation threats to both our national interests."
The report reveals that in October 1996 U.S. intelligence services "obtained information regarding an Iranian plot to hijack a Japanese plane over Israel and crash it into Tel Aviv. A passenger would board the plane in the Far East, commandeer the aircraft, order it to fly over Tel Aviv, and crash the plane into the city."
The incident is mentioned as one example of 12 in the seven years leading up to September 11 in which U.S. intelligence reports referred to the possibility of using a hijacked aircraft to perpetrate a terror attack in a densely-populated area.
The report also reveals that a San Diego businessman who had been an acquaintance of two of the September 11 hijackers had threatened in the past to kill a former Israeli intelligence officer living in the city. The report identifies the man as a U.S. citizen of Palestinian origin.
"The business owner informed the Israeli that he was a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization and that the orders to kill him had come from the PLO," the report says.
Shortly before the September 11 terror attacks, the FBI received information that the man had sold shares in his possession to help fighters in Afghanistan.
By Haaretz Correspondent
WASHINGTON - American intelligence services should take a leaf out of Israel's book and cooperate with its security services to learn how to acquire intelligence from human sources, says the report from the U.S. congressional inquiry into the events of September 11, 2001.
In its recommendations the report calls for a new agency that "should endeavor to learn from both the successes and failures" of Israel's "humint" (human intelligence) strategy. "Their aggressive tactics and inventive use of non-official covers may serve as a useful guide for this new agency," the report continues. "The Israelis have had notable successes in penetrating terrorist organizations and we should learn from their efforts."
The congressional panel of inquiry advises that this new agency, if established, "may also want to consider some level of partnership with the Israeli humint services, given the amount of overlap in the terrorism and proliferation threats to both our national interests."
The report reveals that in October 1996 U.S. intelligence services "obtained information regarding an Iranian plot to hijack a Japanese plane over Israel and crash it into Tel Aviv. A passenger would board the plane in the Far East, commandeer the aircraft, order it to fly over Tel Aviv, and crash the plane into the city."
The incident is mentioned as one example of 12 in the seven years leading up to September 11 in which U.S. intelligence reports referred to the possibility of using a hijacked aircraft to perpetrate a terror attack in a densely-populated area.
The report also reveals that a San Diego businessman who had been an acquaintance of two of the September 11 hijackers had threatened in the past to kill a former Israeli intelligence officer living in the city. The report identifies the man as a U.S. citizen of Palestinian origin.
"The business owner informed the Israeli that he was a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization and that the orders to kill him had come from the PLO," the report says.
Shortly before the September 11 terror attacks, the FBI received information that the man had sold shares in his possession to help fighters in Afghanistan.
I think that it's time that our two nations joined together and shared our experience in human as well as technological intelligence.
I'm sure we could both learn from eachother. So I say to you - Welcome aboard!
not even the Palestinians deserve a fate that bad
Just ask the Arabs they'll tell you. 
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