Security professionals and civil aviation experts from more than 20 countries have registered for the first international seminar on aviation security, to be held in Israel for five days beginning Feb. 5.
Although planned months ago, the seminar will have special urgency in light of the destruction of Pan American Airways Flight 103 over Scotland last week, which investigators now attribute to a powerful bomb placed aboard the aircraft.
The seminar was announced Thursday by Deputy Foreign Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, a Likud member of the Knesset, and Professor Ariel Merari, a terrorism expert at Tel Aviv University’s Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies.
It will be dedicated to members of Israel’s intelligence community who died in the line of duty.
Drawing primarily on the Israeli experience, presentations will be made by Meir Amit, former director of military intelligence of the Israel Defense Force who is also a former head of Mossad, the Israeli secret service, and by Yosef Harmelin, former head of Shin Bet, the internal security organization.
Airline pilots and flight attendants of various airlines, as well as passengers who were victims of terrorist hijackings will participate in panel discussions.
Other registrants include the chief managers of airports, airline and civil aviation authorities, heads of national airport anti-terrorist units, military and police representatives and manufacturers of commercial anti-terrorism equipment.
The seminar will deal with negotiations with hijackers; the media and public support; terrorist tactics and security countermeasures; and planning aviation security.
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