Prime Minister Ehud Olmert this evening at his residence, met with an international delegation of public security ministers from various European and North American countries, and with Public Security Minister Avi Dicter, who is coordinating the conference.
 
The ministers are in Israel for the First International Security Forum of Ministers of Interior and Homeland Security (http://tinyurl.com/5ltjzs), which is concentrating on the struggle against terrorism and the challenges of public security.   Ministers and ambassadors from the US, Canada, France, the UK, Italy, Spain and Poland are attending.
 
Prime Minister Olmert said: “I was pleased to hear about the conference.  Terrorism is the common enemy of democracy and of the basic principles of our lives.  The State of Israel has been fighting terrorism since the day it was founded.  We are dealing with the most complex situations in which we must capture terrorists before they succeed in reaching their planned targets, and in which we must strike at the terrorists as accurately as possible, without harming innocent civilians even though the terrorists frequently use them as human shields.  In recent years, we have developed various methods, means and tactics in order to deal with complex terrorist threats.  Israel’s security forces, which are fighting terrorism on a daily basis, succeed in foiling terrorist attacks, at an impressive rate.  We would be pleased to both share what we have learned and – of course – to learn from you.”