To say that Israel's Witness Protection Program is wary of revealing anything about how it works would be a serious understatement. While the public has been able to get a glimpse into the operations of several other highly classified units, such as the National Cyber Directorate, the National Counterterrorism Unit, and the Israel Police undercover units operating in Judea and Samaria, the Witness Protection Program has been reluctant to do the same. In fact, it agreed to it only because it's about to launch its first public recruitment campaign.
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The Israel Witness Protection Authority was founded in 2008, as a division of the Public Security Ministry, with the aim of providing protection to threatened witnesses and their families so as to enable them to testify freely against felons involved in organized crime.
The WPA's role was outlined by a team formed in 2002, comprising members of the State Attorney's Office, Israel Police, and the Justice, Public Security, and Finance ministries, and its authorities were anchored in the Witness Protection Law, enacted in 2008.
The Witness Protection Program is uniquely tailored for each individual or family according to their different needs, in order to provide them with the greatest possible chance of a normal life. But not every state witness is eligible to be included in the program: the WPA is responsible only for the witnesses at the highest level of risk, while the police protect witnesses who are found to be facing lower-level risks.
Witnesses who are admitted into the program are provided with professional training, including being taught a new language when necessary, given emotional support by welfare professionals when necessary, and provided with medical care, including whatever is required to change their appearance. Eventually, after providing testimony, witnesses and their families are relocated, either in Israel or abroad, and if so, under the auspices of a witness protection unit overseas.
WPA Director Commander (ret.) Avi Neuman says that the program has come a long way in the short time it has been operational, and its officers have evolved from basic bodyguards wielding basic tools to professional marshals with a sophisticated arsenal of methods with which they protect their charges.
Initially, witnesses were housed in holding cells in a facility in central Israel. Their case agents would visit them once a day and take them out for a walk for an hour, he recalled. Later on, witnesses were set up in safe houses, but security was still lax. Once they testified, they were given a lump sum of money, usually a few hundred thousand shekels, and shipped off overseas. When the money ran out, many came back to Israel, where they were tracked down by those against whom they testified. More than a few paid with their lives for crossing the line.
"It was clear to me that this was no way to handle things, and that protecting witnesses was something on a different professional level," he said.
Soon after the Witness Protection Law was enacted, the first WPA officers' training course was launched with cadets who had previously served in the Israel Security Agency and the Mossad intelligence agency. Among its graduates were "Omri" and "Michal." Michal was the first female officer to serve in the Witness Protection Authority and she currently heads its human resources department.
Omri, a married father of three, grew up in Lod, a mixed city in central Israel where several crime families maintain a prominent presence. "I grew up poor and crime was all around us. As kids, we used to look up to the criminals who would ride through the neighborhood on horseback, but my parents did everything to make sure we didn't stray."
He enlisted in a combat unit in the IDF, which he followed up by joining the Shin Bet security agency. He served in security positions in Israel and abroad, and was part of the point team that established the first Israeli embassy in one of the former communist countries. He heard about the inception of the Witness Protection Program from a friend and graduated from his training with honors.
Michal, a married mother of three, also joined the WPA after serving in the Shin Bet.
"After six years in the Shin Bet, I was looking for a change," she said. "Even though I was already a mother, I didn't want a desk job. When I heard about the WPA, I was excited. It was a small elite unit made up of people who come from the best security organizations in the country."
Q: How were you treated as the only woman in the training program?
"I never paid any attention to us. At no point did I see myself as different."
In 2010, the Witness Protection Program admitted its first charge – a man who testified against a worldwide drug smuggling rink that planned to smuggle over 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of cocaine into Israel. Neuman headed the task force that took down the ring, and the star witness ended up sending 15 felons to prison.
Michal was the one who chose the safe house for the witness – an apartment in one of the prestigious residential towers in Tel Aviv. "I wanted a place that would meet security needs. There was an electric gate, CCTV cameras, and a guard at the entrance. The WPA wouldn't approve such a location today, both over budget concerns and because it is too conspicuous," she said.
"I was assigned to protect the witness' wife. Witnesses are not in jail so we let them go places and shadow them closely. There was one time that we scurried her out of a mall in Tel Aviv after we recognized a suspicious character. She was shocked. One moment she's window shopping and the next she's in the car without anyone around being the wiser."
The Israeli Witness Protection Authority is nothing like its counterparts worldwide. It is not as massive an organization as the United States Federal Witness Protection Program, nor is it similar to the European model, where marshals are part of local police forces and not an independent organization.
What they all have in common, however, is that joining them is voluntary. Witnesses can be offered the option, but the final, life-changing decision is up to them. There are currently dozens of witnesses in the program.
"We are the only country in the world that protects state witnesses for a long period of time before their relocation," Omri explained. "In the US, for example, trials are short. Here, they can last for five years, and all this time the witness has to be protected. Safe houses change, the children have to change schools – and this all takes place in a small country where everyone knows everyone else."
The majority of state witnesses are hardly as pure as the driven snow. Some are convicted murderers, others are drug dealers or are involved in racketeering. Their decision to cross the lines stems from various reasons, from wanting to avoid jail time to simply wanting out of a life of crime.
The first stop for a witness who comes under the auspices of the WPA is the intelligence division, whose officers are skilled in working with intelligence sources and covert agents with the help of social workers and psychologists.
"Every witness has a permanent team of handlers and they are his connection to the WPA," the division chief explained. "They make sure he has as normal a routine as possible given the threats he faces. A witness has to be able to feel good – he has to face defendants that want him dead. His testimony can take down a criminal organization. The pressure is massive.
"Psychologists and social workers provide him, his wife and children with emotional support. They are cut off from extended family, their familiar environment and their friends, and the handlers are the ones who have to deal with their crises with them."
The security division, which oversees the marshals, operations center, and field and technological training, is not as lenient when it comes to the witness' daily routine.
"It would be best if witnesses lived in the bunker and only went out to testify in court, but that's not going to happen," Omri said. "If the witness is locked up for four years, he will go crazy. He shouldn't feel like he's in a labor camp in North Korea. It is important to maintain balance. Allow him to enjoy life alongside providing strict security, and that's complex."
Q: What do witnesses' lives look like?
Omri: "They receive an apartment and wages that match the family unit. They don't have a car – any transportation is handled by the marshals.
not have a car, and the mobilization will be done by the security guards."
Q: To what extent can their children lead a normal life?
"Kids go to schools and classes, but they are not allowed to open social media accounts. Teens are less understanding of the security measures because they can only visit friends after we vet them. We have had to cancel meetings in the past because we found out the friend was the son of a criminal."
Q: It sounds like life in a gilded cage.
"You could call it that. But the witnesses want to come into the programm much more than before. They know that they will be protected and it's a chance at a new life."
The stringent security measures make it naturally harder for witnesses to meet with parents or siblings, and dating is made even more complex. Especially when the marshals have to shut down plans.
Q: Do they take 'no' for an answer?
"Not well. It usually makes them angry."
Q: What makes them the most nervous"
"Testifying in court and facing people who were once their friends. For us too, this is a weak point. The dates of the hearings and their location are also known to the defendants, and they can try to harm witnesses there. That's why such testimonies are given in a special courtroom with a special passage, a bulletproof witness stand, and an escape route."
Q: Are state witnesses usually under threat?
"They will be threatened for the rest of their lives, and there are quite a few attempts to locate them," he said. "Criminal organizations today have audacity and technological capabilities. They offer relatives of witnesses money for information, use private investigators, impersonate friends or lawyers – even government workers.
"Senior criminals, who get long prison terms because of a state witness see it as a betrayal. The hope is that they will eventually be released from prison without soldiers and means so it won't be worth their while to spend millions in search for a witness."
Q: Israel is a small country. How can you prevent witnesses from being recognized?
"They change their appearance. A costume; a wig, make-up. If necessary, family members also dress up."
Elad, the WPA's chief security officer, said that even when a witness relocates overseas, the agency still employs technological measures to prevent his identification.
"Every call with relatives in Israel is coordinated with us and is routed through the WPA's switchboard so the number that appears on the phone screen will be fictitious. In-person meetings are held in a neutral country, not the destination country, and at no point does the extended family know where the witness is."
Game changers in the fight against crime
Being a marshal in the Witness Protection Program is grueling. The operational center works around the clock and no detail around a safe house – from the location and building specs to the neighbors – is vetted and constantly monitored. All computers and mobile devices provided by the agency are routinely screened by the intelligence division, and every call, message, or email is monitored. Still, there are no cameras in the safe houses, to allow the witnesses privacy.
Alon, the deputy head of the WPA's security division, is also a former Shin Bet agent, who happens to also be a martial arts champion ranked third in the world.
He made the move to the agency because he was looking to strike a balance between an operational position and family life.
"This isn't a 9-5 job but there's a better balance. Whoever joins the WPA will find that it knows how to contain life beyond work. I had cancer twice and the thought of retiring never crossed my mind."
Q: What does it take to be a WPA marshal?
"You have to be alert and attuned to your surroundings at all times. I could be sitting in a restaurant with a cup of coffee not far from the witness, and I'll notice everyone who walks into the place, immediately sees if they are carrying any suspicious objects and simultaneously examines vehicles in the area."
Handling witnesses, he added, "takes maturity and patience. You're guarding someone who had status and money and who's used to giving orders. Now all that is gone and a 25-year-old is telling him what to do."
Nir, head of security and operations in the Witness Protection Authority, says it is not uncommon for witnesses to turn against the marshals, something he says is mostly rooted in frustration of their circumstances.
"Some of them find it difficult to leave the criminal world behind and break free from the norms that have been a part of their old lives. They can shout at you, 'Who are you to tell me what to do?' and the marshals can't get angry or be rude. They have to navigate the professional line between being firm and showing sympathy.
"These people are pariahs in their old world but we see them as people. If you help the state take down criminals, we'll do everything we can to shore you up."
Omri believes that the work the Witness Protection Authority does "is just as important as thwarting a terrorist attack or the Iranian nuclear threat. What the average citizen feels every day in the rise in crime – the pipebombs, the feuds, racketeering, and illegal weapons on the street. When you see the list of names of people who are killed every day it's more tangible than a nuclear Iran.
"In this equation, the state witness is the tiebreaker. This concept used to have a very negative connotation but now it's a brand in fighting organized crime. State witnesses today know that they have a way out. There's someone there to protect them."
Q: How complicated is it for you to protect someone who has taken a life?
According to Alon, sometimes, "You give one offender a pass to catch many others. Sometimes the crimes they committed are not easy to handle, but now they are saving lives. You have to remember that the decision to make them state witnesses is not ours but one made by the police and State Attorney's Office. We have to keep them safe throughout the trial and get them to the destination country safely."
Q: Did any of them ever go rogue?
"About a year ago I was with a state witness at a cafe in the south when the security detail spotted another crime family's soldiers outside. We decided to leave, but the witness refused. We had to call in his handler and the social worker because things were about to go haywire. He eventually came around. Sometimes it feels like a daycare, but witnesses really are on an emotional rollercoaster."
Q: Have you ever come across a witness who was expelled from the program and recognized you? Were you nervous that he would blow your cover?
"Yes. About two years ago at a gas station. I wasn't really worried because state witnesses rarely want to expose themselves."
Not every case is a winner, however. One of the high-profile cases that still haunt Witness Protection Authority officials involves the murder of a former state witness and his ex-wife.
The case involved Tal Korkus, the former right-hand man of Negev crime Yaniv Zaguri, who turned state's witness in 2009 and led to Zaguri spending seven years in jail for various violent crimes.
Korkus and his then-wife Devorah Hirsch were relocated overseas, but after a few years of struggling with their new life, they returned to Israel in 2014 and were effectively expelled from the Witness Protection Program. Despite the WPA and police warning, the two then returned to Beersheba – Zaguri's realm.
On March 7, 2016, Hirsch, who had divorced Korkus, was gunned down in front of her three young children in the heart of the city. Korkus vowed to avenge them and explicit threats to his life began popping up on social media almost immediately, including one where a masked man shot at his photo. This was followed by a counter-threat showing a masked man firing at a photo of Zaguri. The menacing exchange escalated quickly and in June 2017, Korkus was killed by a pipe bomb placed under his car.
Zaguri was indicted for both murders in 2018. His trial is ongoing.
While this gruesome turn of events took place three years after Korkus was expelled from the Witness Protection Program, it is still perceived as a failure on its part.
"Tal Korkus is not the Witness Protection Authority's 'Bus 300 affair,'" Neuman asserts, referring to the notorious 1984 event in the Israel Security Agency's history. "This is a serious incident and we have to learn from it. Korkus was expelled from the WPA because he didn't meet the program's conditions. Unfortunately, instead of laying low, he not only went back [to Beersheba] but also provoked the organization he had incriminated. The WPA has evolved since then and I hope something like this never happens again."
'Women are a tiebreaker'
Many witnesses struggle with the move overseas as it involves playing by a new set of foreign rules. Still, Omri says most witnesses "understand that this an opportunity for them to start a new life, with a new name and sometimes, even a new look."
Zohar, who is responsible for changing witnesses' appearance, has become an expert in cosmetic treatments. "It starts with hair color and styles and choosing colored contact lenses; removing any unique scars and tattoos, and even plastic surgery on the face and body," he explains.
"Everything is on the table. Some choose to undergo procedures to fix things that bothered them anyway and others go for enhancements. The witness's wife can also make similar changes – anything that will help them reach their destination calm and confident."
Q: Are they allowed to visit Israel and meet with family members?
"At first, we make sure that any such meetings take place abroad, but if there's an emergency, they can fly to Israel – depending on the level of threat they face. About a year ago we had a witness who had been abroad for five years and asked to come back to say goodbye to his brother, who was terminally ill. He was here for 72 hours, never left the house, and knew that the longer he stayed, the harder it would be for him to say goodbye. Witnesses need to be able to disengage and adapt to the new reality. "
Q: What if a witness' children want to come back to join the IDF?
"If there is ever such a request, we can arrange it. The child will come back under a new identity," Elad said.
In the WPA's 12 years of operation, only three women served as marshals, and with the exception of Michal, the human resources director, they left the organization after only a few years of service.
"It's a matter of coordinating expectations," Michal said. "I understand that women's priorities are different and each one chooses to emphasize something different. I have a supportive husband. who understands that I'm very career-oriented. I didn't stop to think or outline a strategy. Once you know what you want and you come home with that confidence there's no reason for anything to unsettle you. Sure, you need help, but I believe life has a way of working things out."
Q: Does it bother you that you miss out on time with your daughters because of work?
"No. I devote time to the girls whenever I can. They grew up to be good girls, and they even say they want to be just like me. Basically, I don't allow any conversation about a woman's 'role at home' because I am whole with myself. A woman can be married, raise children, and also fulfill herself. One shouldn't come at the expense of the other."
Q: How do you plan to attract women to work for the WPA?
"Women are tiebreakers when it comes to undercover work," she explained. "They blend into their surroundings more easily because no criminal organization looks at the women around the witness. They pick up on things quickly, they are shrewd, and they easily spot abnormalities in the field.
"The only obstacle is physical fitness, which is why the next class will exclude that factor for female marshals. We don't need to run a marathon, nor are we required to become SWAT officers."
The advantage women have, she continued, "is not their physical strength, but the emotional intelligence and acute senses. They are also the ones who can help the witnesses' wives and understand the children better. Every woman who applies to the WPA will be tested, even if she doesn't spend all day in the gym. If she really wants to join ut, we'll find a way. "
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Director-General of the Public Security Ministry Tomar Lotan lauded the work of the Witness Protection Authority.
"I am proud and full of admiration for the arduous, determined work by the Witness Protection Authority. It is our duty to protect, treat and rehabilitate threatened witnesses and their families, who are at the highest risk.
"We will continue to work harder and focus our best efforts and capabilities on increasing the resilience of Israeli society and reducing organized crime in Israel. "
