BICOM

Israel’s National Cyber Bureau yesterday hosted a senior American defence official as the two sides reiterated their commitment to increase cyber cooperation.

US Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorka was hosted by Dr. Eviatar Matania, head of Israel’s National Cyber Bureau after Matania had himself recently visited the United States. According to a joint statement, Mayorka met with several Israeli start-ups and participated in a round-table discussion with senior members of Israeli’s cyber industry.

The two cyber chiefs agreed that international cooperation between governments and in the private sector is vital to meet the ever-growing challenges of cyber security. They agreed that Israel and the United States should increase their partnership to strengthen the response to cyber threats. The two bodies agreed that they are committed to formulating a national policy and advancing research and development in the cyber field.

It was also announced yesterday that top Israeli and American counter-terrorism officials met this week in Washington for a strategic discussion. The US State Department said that the talks come “in the context of the two countries’ close and ongoing security cooperation.” Counterterrorism Coordinator Tina Kaidanow led the US delegation, while Israel’s team was headed by Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Alon Roth-Snir and Deputy National Security Adviser and Head of the Counterterrorism Bureau, Eytan Ben-David.

The State Department commented “This is one of the United States’ longest standing strategic counterterrorism dialogues” and was an opportunity to review “the full range of counterterrorism issues that are of concern to our two countries.” The statement continued, explaining that “Both delegations reaffirmed their commitment to continuing and strengthening joint Israel-US consultation and cooperation on common counterterrorism challenges.”

Next week, further security cooperation between the two countries will be discussed at the highest level as US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter is scheduled to visit Israel. US President Barack Obama said that Carter’s visit is a “reflection of the unprecedented level of security cooperation between the United States and Israel.”